


A matter of chance

by Perversion_Incarnate



Category: Deus Ex (Video Games), Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst and Porn, Arguing, Bickering, Boys Kissing, Brooding, Companionable Snark, Confessional Sex, Confessions, Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, Dom/sub Undertones, Explicit Language, Fight Sex, Grumpy Pritchard, Hate Sex, Hugs, Humor, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Sex, Infolink banter, Late Night Conversations, Love Confessions, Love/Hate, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Minor Violence, Morning After, Naked Cuddling, Non-Consensual Kissing, Non-Consensual Oral Sex, Not-so-stoic Jensen, Office Blow Jobs, Office Sex, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Past Relationship(s), Post-Coital Cuddling, Role Reversal, Rough Sex, Sickfic, Simultaneous Orgasm, Surprise Kissing, Temper Tantrums, Video & Computer Games, Walking In On Someone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2019-07-10 16:07:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15952835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Perversion_Incarnate/pseuds/Perversion_Incarnate
Summary: A set of ficlets depicting the "complicated" nature of the relationship between Adam and a certain snarky hacker. No, they're not dating, they're not even friends, they just tone down how bad they treat each other sometimes. At least that's what it looks like at first...





	1. Intrusion

**Author's Note:**

> Well, what can I say, this pairing has been my guilty pleasure as of late. After all those exchanges they had in HR...all that unresolved sexual tension made me want to yell at them to just make out already... The way I see it, Pritchard totally has the hots for Adam. I guess that's why I made him break into his apartment here...drunk out of his mind of course, because a sober Pritchard is no fun. Read on at your own risk, it's sexy time xD

Jensen jerked awake as the noise from the living room reached his ears. A loud thump and some cursing. Someone was in his apartment. He climbed out of bed, his eye shields clicking into place. Whoever it was, he was about to get his ass handed to him.

  
He moved towards the doorway, his back against the wall. Getting a drop on the bastard should be easy if he was sloppy enough to bump into the first piece of furniture that got in his way. He enabled the noise cancelling augments in his legs and moved towards his target, ready to dispose of him quickly and with extreme prejudice.  
  
The intruder seemed to be oblivious to everything around him as he stood there, rubbing his shin gingerly. Jensen approached and grabbed him by his shoulder, whirling him around. The man let out a terrified yelp as a ceramic blade was pressed against his throat. Jensen did a double-take.  
  
“Goddammit, Pritchard!” he rasped as he loosened his grip and let the blade slide back into its compartment. “I could've killed you.”

It took the hacker all but one second to regain his composure: “Oh, always such a warm welcome from you.” The tone of his voice was as sarcastic as any other day, except...  
  
“You're drunk.” commented the aug sounding half-surprised, half-amused.  
  
“Wow, your observation skills are absolutely out of this world.” deadpanned Pritchard as he steadied himself against the armrest of the couch.  
  
“Care to tell me why you're here?”  
  
“Well, if you must know...I'm here because of you...you jerk.” grunted the hacker as he tapped an accusing finger on Jensen's chest.

Adam knitted his brow, his eyes narrowing behind the shades: “What the hell's that supposed to mean?”

Pritchard latched onto him: “It means that I hate you for making me do this. And you know what? I've had enough of your bullshit. I'm gonna-”  
  
His sentence got cut short by a sudden loss of balance. If Adam had to guess, he'd say that Pritchard was trying to shove him into the room, but all he did was lose his balance and plop into his arms like a rag doll. Unsure of whether he should be angry or amused, he sat him down on the couch.  
  
“Ggghhhh...I'm not done...yet.” grumbled the hacker.

“Pretty sure you are. Listen, Francis-”  
  
“I'm gonna make you my bitch, Jensen.”  
  
Adam shook his head in exasperation: “Do us both a favor and shut up. Just lie down on the couch and-”  
  
It was as if Pritchard didn't hear him: “I don't care how strong you are. I'm gonna-”  
  
“You should, 'cause I might just punch you if you keep this up.” growled the aug, his patience finally running out. It was enough that the prick kept pestering him at work all the time. With robbing him of sleep like this, he was starting to push the boundaries a little too far.  
  
Pritchard waved his hand dismissively: “Spare me the attitude, Jensen. We both know that if you really wanted to do that, you already would've. Want to know why I'm really here?”

Adam opened his mouth to growl at him again only to make a choked sound. He froze, staring down in shock. Nothing could've prepared him for what happened. Pritchard was...he just reached out and grabbed him. More specifically, he grabbed his crotch.

“I'm gonna push you against that wall and I'm gonna fuck you senseless.”  
  
It was as if what he just heard had completely fried his brain. He had no idea how, but within the next few seconds, he found himself with his back against the wall and Pritchard's hand inside his pants. Somehow, even his eye shields managed to retract without him being aware of it.  
  
The hacker smirked: “You're not so tough now, are you?”  
  
Still paralyzed, Jensen stared at him, his exposed eyes revealing how he felt better than any words could.  
  
Pritchard tightened his grip, savoring the nervous twitch it earned him.

Jensen stiffened as he felt the hacker's fingers give him a single hard stroke. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, his voice hoarse: “Pritchard...”  
  
“You're gonna let me fuck you, Jensen, and I'm gonna make you cum hard.” Pritchard continued, the tone of his voice a dead giveaway of just how much he enjoyed the other man's vulnerable state. He stroked him once more and hooked the fingers of his free hand into the waist of his sweatpants in an attempt to undress him.  
  
That little action finally made Adam snap out of it. He grabbed the hacker's wrists: “Stop.”

  
Pritchard tugged at the fabric insistently.

“Don't touch me.” Jensen demanded as he looked up at him, his shock suddenly evaporated.

The hacker didn't seem to like that idea as he dug his fingers deep into the sensitive flesh on the aug's crotch in an attempt to seize control again.  
  
Adam let out a pained groan and doubled over, the grip upon the other man's wrists loosening.  
  
“Make me.”  
  
That did it, Adam gripped the offending wrist with both his hands, tearing it away. Now it was Pritchard's turn to be shocked as he was swung around and pinned against the wall. He gasped as his arm was twisted into a very painful angle behind his back, one augmented hand holding his wrist and the other one tugging at his hair, forcing him to tilt his head back. The pain from his wrist shot all the way up to his shoulder as the other man leaned into the grab, his weight effectively immobilizing him. He rumbled in his ear: “No, Francis. You're the one who's getting fucked.”

His voice turned downright guttural. With how raw he sounded naturally, it was almost scary.

“Move.” he commanded as he gave Pritchard just enough room to step away from the wall. He pushed him towards the bedroom, his hands never letting go of him. The hacker did as he was told, his breath growing shallow. He was in no position to argue and he realized it, no matter how drunk he was.  
  
Jensen shoved him onto the bed and grabbed a bottle of lube from the nightstand. He was expecting some sort of an insult to come his way as he turned back to where Pritchard was lying, but no such thing happened. The hacker was uncharacteristically quiet as he just rolled onto his side and rubbed his hurting wrist. It was as if he didn't notice him or just outright ignored him. Jensen didn't care either way. He kicked down his pants and climbed into bed, ready to move in for the kill.  
  
“You cheap bastard...”  
  
Ah, there it was. Without saying a word, he grabbed the hacker's arm again and forced him onto his stomach, savoring the grunt it earned him. He used his free hand to dispose of Pritchard's belt and tear down all the clothes that stood in his way. It was almost funny how the other man squirmed the moment his rear was exposed. Jensen grabbed the lube again and applied a generous amount to his cock: “The more you move, the more it's gonna hurt.”

“Don't you dare-”  
  
Pritchard hissed as his hair was pulled again, this time with much more force.

“Do I really have to repeat myself? Shut up.” growled the aug as he slid the tip of his cock inside him.

He inhaled sharply as the warm wetness closed in around him. A moan came from underneath him. It was both pleasure and pain. Encouraged by the sound, he thrust deeper, moaning himself.  
  
Pritchard let out a loud cry, only for it to be stifled by a hand clamped over his mouth. He writhed under the touch and regretted it immediately as the hold around his wrist turned into a vice. The message was clear: _Be quiet and stop moving._  
  
Jensen pulled out and went back in, his hips coming to a stop. He was giving his prey time to adjust. The hacker trembled under him, eyes closed. No sound this time, just some heavy breathing.  
  
The aug pulled back his hand from the other man's mouth and loosened the death grip he was giving his wrist, but he didn't let go completely. As obedient as Pritchard was starting to be, he didn't trust him to fully cooperate just yet.

He rammed into him again. And again. And again, until his hips picked up a rhythm and started moving on their own. At that point his cock was in balls-deep, his every thrust rewarded with a moan. It surprised him how loose his partner had become, gave him the impression that he was used to this kind of treatment. Pritchard wiggled under him, panting and moaning and in between those pants and moans...  
  
“Come on, Jensen... Fuck me like you mean it.”  
  
Adam was more than willing to oblige. He let go of the hacker's wrist and gripped his butt with both hands, pounding into him at twice as much speed. Pritchard threw his head back in a cry of ecstasy, his manhood pushing hard against the mattress. Adam let out an animal-like growl as he was nearing his climax, the pressure around his cock becoming downright exhilarating. He grabbed his partner's hair and thrust into him one last time before it washed over him. With a hoarse cry, he let go of him and quickly pulled out. A similar sound came from under him and Pritchard suddenly went limp, his chest rising and falling with ragged breaths.  
  
Adam collapsed onto the bed next to him and took a moment to savor the aftermath of his orgasm. A smile was tugging at the corners of his lips. After such a long time, it felt really great to have sex again...no matter who it was with. He looked over at Pritchard. The hacker had his back to him and seemed to be completely oblivious to everything around him.  
  
Adam sat up and shook his head. It seemed that no matter how much he disliked the idea, Francis was staying in his bed. He grabbed his pillow and moved it to the other side, hoping to gain enough room to get some sleep. For a second, he considered grabbing the covers from under the apparently sleeping Pritchard as well, but then he just rolled his eyes and moved to his side of the bed, looking forward to finally getting some rest.

 


	2. Morning pleasantries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pretty much just the morning after, some sleepy Adam adorableness and sober Pritchard's hysteria over what drunk Pritchard did, because drunk Pritchard is a dirty little slut.

Pritchard shifted under the covers, only half-awake. The pain that immediately started pounding at his skull made him groan. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was like a desert. Hell, even opening his eyes seemed like too much effort. Scowling, he rolled to his other side and tried to drift back to sleep.  
  
Another jolt of pain, this time coming from the back of his neck and shoulder. He tried adjusting his arm, but it only made it worse. The pain spread all the way down to his wrist. It almost felt like he received a beating. Groaning again, he curled into a ball and tried to focus. At this point, he knew that sleeping was no longer an option and he might as well just wake up.

He rolled onto his back and stiffened as something brushed against his arm...something that wasn't supposed to be there. He furrowed his brow and started tracing the unknown object with his fingers. Synthetic fibers... The texture and the shapes they formed... It almost felt like... No, it couldn't be!  
  
His previous daze was all but gone as he jerked upright and looked at what he'd just touched. Or rather, whom he'd just touched. Without hesitating for a second, he grabbed hold of the augmented arm and pulled at it.

“Jensen!” he demanded. “Jensen, wake up!”  
  
The other man seemed perfectly content in his sleep and didn't respond.  
 **  
**Pritchard started shaking him:“Jensen!”

The only response was a knitted brow and a slight roll of the shoulder where the hacker's hands were.  
  
“Jensen! Goddammit, just wake up!”  
  
A barely audible groan. Adam turned his head to him lazily, staring at him with his right eye: “Good morning to you too, Francis.”   
  
“Don't you good morning me! What the hell happened? Why am I in a bed with you?” Upon sitting up some more, Pritchard's face flushed red. “And why am I naked?!” he exclaimed as he pulled the covers tighter around himself.  
  
The other man didn't seem to be fazed by his behavior at all as he ran a hand through his hair, sat up and reached for a pack of cigarettes resting on the nightstand. He put one in his mouth and lit it: “Are you always this grumpy when you wake up? Not that it gets better during the day, just curious.”  
  
Pritchard's face turned an even darker shade of red as he sputtered: “Stop fucking around and answer me, you idiot!”  
  
The aug let out a puff of smoke. Aggravating the other man was something he couldn't resist on a normal day, with him about to literally explode like this, he decided to push all the buttons at once: “Now now, Francis, if you want me to cuff you to bed again, there's no need for all that language. All you have to do is ask.”  
  
The reaction was just as priceless as he imagined it would be. Pritchard's eyes went wide with a mixture of horror and disbelief, his mouth hanging agape: “Wh-what? What are you talking about? That...that can't be true! I...” Upon noticing the other man's expression, he glared at him: “Not funny, Jensen!”  
  
“You're right, it's hilarious rather than just funny.” replied Adam, a rare grin tugging at his lips.  
  
Pritchard buried his face in his palm, looking genuinely tired: “Jensen, you really are insufferable. Seriously, can't you go five minutes without mocking me? My head is pounding like hell, my entire arm hurts, I don't remember coming here and top of all that I have to listen to your childish wisecracks.”  
  
“That's a nice sob story, Francis, but it has a plot hole.” said Adam dryly. “You did that to yourself. That headache and momentary amnesia along with a dry mouth, irritated stomach and everything else, that's a hangover. You broke into my apartment last night because you were completely shit-faced. Gotta admit, it surprised me seeing you like that.”  
  
Pritchard looked up at him wearily: “Yes, unlike you, I'm not used to drinking myself into oblivion so I know what I must've looked like. Would you stop being a jerk now and bring me a glass of water?”

“Since you asked so nicely...” proclaimed Adam sarcastically as he put out his cigarette and shuffled out of bed.  
  
The nerve of the prick was unbelievable. Had it been anyone else, the glass would've been smashed against his head rather than filled with water and handed to him. Not with Jensen. In spite of shaking his head at the idea, he not only took the biggest glass he could find and poured it full, he also did a detour to the bathroom and grabbed some aspirin. Why was he even trying? He didn't know. Apparently being nice to jerks that didn't deserve it was just the way he was.  
  
“I brought you some aspirin. Should help with the headache.” he said as he approached the bed.  
  
Pritchard was still in the same position, looking just as bad as before, if not worse. Adam set the glass and the pill bottle on the nightstand.  
  
“Do you feel sick?” he asked cautiously as he noticed the other man's pallor.  
  
Pritchard looked up at him: “A little nauseous, but I think... Christ, Jensen! At least have the decency to put some clothes on!”  
  
Adam raised an eyebrow: “I don't see how wearing a pair of boxers in my own apartment is offensive.”  
  
“Oh, so letting just about anyone see you in your underwear is perfectly normal.”  
  
Now the aug was amused: “Yeah, says the guy who's sitting on my bed wearing nothing.”  
  
Pritchard cleared his throat and reached for the glass of water and pills. Judging by how much he tucked his head between his shoulders, it seemed like his hair was supposed to provide cover, but Adam could still see the pink in his cheeks. The hacker stiffened, his hand stopping mid-movement: “Oh god...”  
  
“Something wrong, Francis?”  
  
Pritchard turned his head to him, his cheeks now burning red as he pointed at the forgotten bottle of lube standing right next to his water: “You...you used that on me.” he said flatly. “Isn't that right...Jensen? Don't bother trying to deny it. I know...”  
  
“You didn't give me much of a choice.” retorted Adam.  
  
Pritchard made a face: “So your excuse for outright behaving like an animal is that somehow, it's my fault. That's just priceless.”  
  
The aug crossed his arms, his voice seeping with irritation: “Given the circumstances, I was still quite nice to you. I can tell you exactly what happened if you stop jumping to conclusions. Can you do that, Francis? Can you shut up and listen to me?”  
  
Pritchard pursed his lips: “Fine.”  
  
“When you broke in here last night, I didn't know it was you so I jumped you. At first, you kept spewing some nonsense about how you've had enough of my bullshit and how you're gonna make me your bitch. Considering how much you reeked of alcohol, I doubt you'll recall any of that.”  
  
Those first few sentences were enough to make Pritchard facepalm. Adam took a mental note of it to amuse himself with later and continued: “I tried to sit you down on the couch and make you stop but you just kept rambling until you pissed me off. I was thinking of throwing you out, but...you started groping me. Told me you were gonna fuck me.”  
  
Pritchard sighed, his face still buried in his palm: “I can't believe this...”  
  
“Why would I lie?” countered Adam.  
  
The hacker looked up at him: “I suppose you wouldn't. Go on.”  
  
“You pushed me against the wall and tried to undress me. I wanted to stop you, but you insisted. Got me riled up. I'm sorry if I went a little overboard after that, but it's been a while since anyone touched me like that.”  
  
It seemed that Pritchard was growing impatient: “What happened, Jensen?”  
  
“I knew you wouldn't listen, so I got you into an arm lock and made you come here. Then I gave you what you wanted, my way.”  
  
Pritchard's expression turned sour: “Yeah, you must've loved it when you had an excuse to use those augments against me full force. And how exactly is having your way with me giving me what I want? You're just trying to-”  
  
Adam's gaze turmed stern, the gravel in his voice becoming more prominent: “I can punch through walls, Francis. Do you really think you'd still be breathing if I used my full strength? And saying that I had my way with you, that's just a bad choice of words, because you outright provoked me. Honestly, what did you think was gonna happen if you kept touching me? You literally put your hand in my pants.”  
  
“What did I think!” sputtered Pritchard. “Sure, keep telling yourself that. I was drunk and you did what you did, but go ahead and make yourself the victim like you always do.”  
  
Adam sat down opposite from him and looked him right in the eyes, his voice still dangerously low: “You liked it, Pritchard, no matter how much you're trying to deny it. And you came prepared, you know what I'm talking about. You obviously knew what you were doing.”  
  
“Like hell I did.” muttered Pritchard, averting his gaze. “I told you a thousand times not to use that stupid CASIE mod on me.”  
  
“Don't need it.”  
  
The hacker reached for the glass of water and pills to buy himself some time.  
  
“You're blushing again.” Adam pointed out.  
  
“Stop analyzing me.” hissed Pritchard as he put the pill in his mouth. Upon chugging it down with a generous amount of water, he took in a deep breath, his voice a little more leveled: “Do you mind? I'd like to get dressed.”  
  
“Go ahead.” said Adam as he got up and turned to leave.  
  
Pritchard crawled out of bed and reached for his clothes scattered on the floor in an attempt to regain his composure. Knowing that the other man can't see him helped him ease his nerves more than anything. He wiggled his way into his pants first, convinced that as soon as he put those on, he would feel at least remotely comfortable.  
  
Some noise came from the next room, it sounded like Jensen was doing something in the kitchen. The hacker almost let out a sigh of relief. He pulled on his turtleneck and searched the bed for any sign of his hair band. Luckily, it didn't take him long to find it. He grabbed his remaining clothes and swung them over his shoulder as he started walking towards the living room, his hands already working on his ponytail.  
  
The smell of coffee reached his nostrils the moment he stepped in. Jensen was standing at the kitchen counter, a steaming mug in hand. Pritchard looked up at him, his hands still busy with the hair: “This, it changes nothing, Jensen? Do you understand?”  
  
The aug didn't seem to be bothered in the slightest when he answered: “Wouldn't have it any other way.”  
  
“Good, now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna use your bathroom and then go get some normal food on my way out because I assume you still live off of that crap you call cereal.”  
  
“Right.” said Adam as he walked past him to sit down on the couch.  
  
“And Jensen?”  
  
The aug stopped in his tracks and turned to him, looking genuinely curious.  
  
Pritchard sighed. With his eye shields retracted and that expression on his face, the man looked almost friendly. Wearing no clothes that would hide his sculpted abs and metallic looking arms wasn't helping either. He shook his head, trying to swat away the resurfacing memory of how he felt when those arms held him. Most importantly, trying to deny that maybe, just maybe, he liked what he was looking at.  
  
“Don't tell anyone about this.” he finally managed to say.  
  
Adam shrugged: “Wasn't gonna.”  
  
Pritchard gave him a quick nod and headed for the bathroom. He really didn't want to think about it anymore.


	3. Business as usual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what it says on the tin, just some 'usual business' going on in SI after the fling our two boys had :) It's very scene-based I'd say, but it just somehow felt right not to drag it out too much.

**Sarif industries, Monday morning:**

Adam flinched as someone pushed past him, bumping into his shoulder. Funnily enough, it was Pritchard, his ponytail bouncing from side to side as he hurried towards the entrance of the building. The aug stopped in his tracks, taking in the until then inconcievable image of Francis Wendell Pritchard coming to work anytime later than 6AM.  
  
“What's the matter, Francis? Did your alarm clock break?” he called after him.  
  
“I have no time for your nonsense, Jensen. I've got too much work to do.” replied the hacker without stopping, or even just looking at him.  
  
Adam raised an eyebrow. No sarcasm in that answer, not even an attempt at it. Just a blunt statement devoid of any of the usual annoying undertones that made Pritchard sound like Pritchard. He shook his head. So much for changing nothing. _  
_

 

*****  
  
**A few hours later:  
**   
Adam let out a rather frustrated sigh as he leaned back in his chair. Paperwork, writing reports and then some more paperwork in case there wasn't enough of it before. If there was a part of his job that he hated it was definitely the mountain of paperwork and reports he had to deal with every day. The e-notes and pocket secretaries were stacked in a rather menacing pile, actually quite a few menacing piles, all over the couch standing opposite from his desk.  
  
The aug shook his head. He couldn't even look at that shit for a second longer, let alone work on it. Getting up from his chair, he decided that the best course of action was to grab a coffee. If anything, at least the caffeine might help him work faster. Having an excuse to just walk away from it for a few minutes was very tempting as well. He pushed open the door and headed to the cafeteria.  
  
Not five minutes later, he has reached his destination. The room was buzzing with chatter from his co-workers, apparently it was already lunch break and he didn't notice. Drowning in paperwork just got wrong on one additional level. He punched his order into the coffee machine and crossed his arms, waiting.  
  
“Hey there, Spy boy!” he heard a voice call from behind him.  
  
His expression became a little less grim: “Malik.”  
  
The pilot stopped right next to him, smiling: “How's it going?”  
  
“You don't wanna know.” replied the aug with a sigh. “I'm literally swimming in paperwork over at my office.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Actually, I was just about to grab a coffee myself, you wanna sit back for a while? Maybe grab some lunch too?” offered Faridah.  
  
As much as Adam was tempted to say yes, (after all, he did hate that paperwork with an almost unhealthy passion) he shook his head: “Thanks, but I think I'm gonna head back now. I'll never get it done at this rate.”  
  
“Alright then. Just try not to drown in there, ok?” teased the pilot.  
  
“Yeah, I'll try.” replied the aug as he headed back to his office.

 

*****  
  
**About an hour later:**  
  
“Adam.”  
  
A voice from above him, a familiar one.  
  
“Adam.”  
  
A light shake on his shoulder.  
  
“Come on, son. Wake up.”  
  
Jensen sat up in his chair abruptly, his eye shields clicking into place. There was a stray e-note stuck to his cheek which he promptly removed before responding: “Boss.”  
  
Sarif chuckled: “There ya go. So tell me, to what do I owe the uncanny sight of my head of security napping on his desk like a newborn?”  
  
“I've been doing some paperwork.” replied the aug without missing a beat.  
  
“Christ, it looks like you're in head over heels.” commented Sarif as he walked past the currently uninhabitable couch. “But it's obvious you need a break now. How about you do a little something for me?”

Adam nodded: “What is it, boss?”  
  
The older man reached inside his vest and pulled out a pocket secretary: “Could you give this to Frank? You seem to be the only one to walk out of there with your nerves intact whenever he starts his...” He sighed. “Well, you know how he is and today it's even worse than usual.”

“But he does piss me off.” said Adam bluntly.  
  
Now Sarif outright laughed: “I know, son, but you handle it much better than the rest of us.”

 

*****

 **Moments later:  
**   
Adam stepped inside the tech lab, Sarif's pocket secretary in hand: “Pritchard.”  
  
The hacker almost jumped out of his chair: “Jesus Christ, Jensen! What's coming next, you sneaking in here through an air duct? Why can't you just knock or otherwise notify me that you plan on coming here?”  
  
Jensen raised an eyebrow. That really was more nervous than usual, but still more in-character than that stonewall he pulled off in the morning.  
  
“I did say 'Pritchard'. What do you want me to do? Send you an email whenever I need something just so you can feel good about having received your memo on time?”  
  
Pritchard gripped the bridge of his nose, sighing: “What do you want, Jensen?”  
  
Adam walked up to him and put the pocket secretary on his desk: “It's from Sarif.”  
  
“Running errands for the boss like the obedient lap dog you are?” prodded Pritchard snidely.  
  
Given the other man's behavior so far, Adam decided to waste no time and go straight for the throat: “I'm not a lap dog, Francis. You should know that after last Saturday.”  
  
Pritchard scowled: “Flailing your supposed machismo around like it's something special, how very mature.”  
  
This time, it was Adam's turn to sound snide: “Actually, I just enjoy hurting your ego.”  
  
Pritchard gave him a look: “Is that so? Trying to hit a nerve, Jensen? Then try harder because it's not working.”  
  
Not quite the reaction Adam was expecting. He crossed his arms: “I'm-”  
  
“Going back to your office and letting me do my job? Why, thank you, Jensen. That's very considerate of you. Not only will I be able to actually get something done that way, I also won't have to go through the chore of deactivating your augs while you sleep and then torturing you until you admit how much of a man-child you are.”  
  
That got Adam searching for words. Somehow, he didn't think that Pritchard's torture involved torture in a literal sense.  
  
His suspicions were confirmed when the most obnoxious kind of grin spread across the hacker's face: “I know where you live, you know where the door is. Your call, Jensen.”  
  
Adam promptly stomped out of the room. He was getting the smug bastard back for this, no matter the cost.


	4. Over the line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam hits a nerve...hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has a life of its own it seems. Seriously, it just writes itself, therefore I claim no responsibility for any of the almost pathological toxicity displayed here.

**Sarif industries, Tuesday:**  
  
Adam shook his head as another tab in his browser was clicked shut. Still not good enough. He had to keep looking, the right piece was out there somewhere, just waiting for him to use it. All he had to do was find it, a project he started working on the moment he got back from work yesterday.  
  
A glint of mischief flashed in his eyes as he kept browsing. Violating Pritchard's precious security protocols was the perfect basis for the cake, all he had to do now was find the right icing. He clicked on another video. Boring. The next one. The beginning looked promising, but the rest didn't have the shock value he needed. He had to find something obscene, something that would make Pritchard snap. He opened up another one and within the first minute, he knew that he had the winner, bonus points for one of the guys looking like Pritchard with short hair. His lips curled into a smug smirk. Perfect.  
  
Wasting no more time, he hit the download button on the video and started composing the email. His fingers lingered on the keyboard. Sending it just like that would ruin the whole thing, he had to think of a message, a finishing touch... A breach in security. Not the most creative kind of message but the kind that was bound to work. He started typing hurriedly. Once he was done, he added the attachment, filled in Pritchard's address and hit send. Satisfied, he closed the remaining tabs and leaned back in his chair. There was nothing more to do but wait now. He knew that the fallout which was bound to follow would be nothing short of spectacular.

He didn't have to wait long. Not ten minutes from sending his email, approaching steps could be heard in front of his office. The silhouette of Pritchard came into view. Judging by how brisk his stride was and how furiously his ponytail and arms moved, it was evident that he was out for blood. Adam braced himself for an incoming shit-storm.  
  
“Jensen!!”  
  
It sounded as if he decided to adopt his name as an official war cry. The head of cyber-security stomped into his office, his face redder than a boiled lobster.  
  
“Jensen, you piece of shit! How dare you send me that...that atrocity...that disgusting piece of...pornography!” He was so angry he seemed to be tripping over his own words. “And download it with a company computer no less! You're supposed to be the fucking head of security and yet you just violated every single security protocol I've put in place to prevent the whole network from collapsing! What's worse, you decided to visit the breeding grounds of the worst kinds of worms! Do you know how much strain those freaking porn sites put on my firewall? Do you have any idea what kind of-”  
  
“Did I hit a nerve now, Francis?” asked Adam with a cocked eyebrow, the right side of his mouth twitching upwards. The first few seconds of the outburst were quite satisfying, but the ongoing rant was starting to make him lose interest.  
  
Pritchard gasped with disbelief, the red never leaving his face: “What the... You did that...to get back at me? Is that it?”  
  
Adam leaned forward, getting ready to verbally curb-stomp him. The prick was making it too easy.  
  
“Why else would I be watching gay porn involving guys that remind me of you?”

That finally made Pritchard lose it completely.  
  
“I'm not gay!” he screeched.  
  
“Neither am I.” said Adam dryly.  
  
“You...you...”  
  
For a second it seemed like the hacker was at a complete loss of words. His face was contorted into an angry grimace, his entire posture oozing frustration. He glared at Adam menacingly.  
  
“Fuck you, Jensen!” he screamed before storming out of the room.  
  
Adam furrowed his brow, suddenly feeling like he stepped over the line with this. He's never seen Pritchard so...hysterical. With all the swearing and screaming, it seemed like in the end, he hit more than just one nerve. Whichever the case, he knew that the hacker wouldn't let go of this anytime soon, if ever.


	5. Access denied

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam gets what he deserves...sort of.

**The Chiron building, Wednesday evening:**  
  
Adam's shoulders slumped with tiredness as he finally dragged himself towards the elevator that would carry him up to his apartment. It was a long and tiring day and he wanted nothing more than to slip into a pair of sweatpants and watch some TV before going to sleep. Preferably over a drink, god he needed a drink so bad. After all the shit that went down today, it would have to be more than just one.  
  
His morning started off with a summon to Sarif's office where he received a briefing for his mission. Apparently, the boss decided to make his day interesting by sending him into a heavily guarded facility to recover a piece of sensitive hardware. He was to get in and out without being spotted by the security. In Sarif's words, it had to be done because the more legal routes of obtaining it have failed. As if to finalize his one-way ticket to a bad day, he assigned Pritchard to provide him with infolink support.  
  
Their communication was just as awkward as Adam imagined it would be. Pritchard talked to him in a very detached manner, his sentences short and to the point. No sarcasm or insults coming his way, just cold hard facts helping him find his way to the hardware. It was professionalism at its finest and it didn't suit the hacker at all. Adam was surprised at how uncomfortable it made him feel, how much it made him lose focus. From that point on it only went downhill.

In his distracted state, he somehow managed to get in the line of fire of a turret. A rookie mistake, really and the kind of mistake that would, if he wasn't on his way out already, make the entire mission go to hell. The fire hit him on the side and he barely managed to jump into cover as the alarm started blaring. His quiet recovery operation turned into a venture into a war zone. He had to keep moving, taking down anyone who caught a glimpse of him, but the wound was slowing him down. By the time he managed to get out, the blood loss was making him light-headed.  
  
He shook his head as he recalled what followed. There was a gaping hole in his side and upon seeing the size of it, he was surprised that he managed to get all the way into the VTOL without blacking out. He knew that his Sentinel system would take care of it, but it would take time. And in the meantime, it would hurt. Malik used up most of the bandages in her first aid kit to patch him up and they set off to land back at the HQ. He vaguely remembered handing the hardware over to Pritchard and getting chewed out by Sarif. A shitty conclusion to an even shittier day.  
  
His features relaxed a little as he approached the door to his apartment. All he had to do was punch in the code, then it would all be behind him for good. He typed in the numbers and pressed the confirm button. Instead of glowing green and making the typical chirpy noise however, the screen flashed bright red.  
  
“Access denied.” proclaimed the robotic voice which was supposed to welcome him home.

Adam scowled, thinking that he had to be really tired if he managed to mess this up. He typed in the code again, lingering on each number a little longer to make sure that he got them right. Once he double-checked, he pressed confirm again.

“Access denied.” repeated the voice stubbornly.

_What the hell is going on here..._

As if to answer his question, his infolink crackled to life: “Good evening, Jensen.”  
  
The snide undertones were back in place and Adam knew better than to think that they meant anything good.

“Pritchard.” he replied, feeling too tired to make himself sound sarcastic.

“Is something wrong?” purred the hacker inside his head. “My tracking shows me that you're still standing in front of your apartment. Don't you want to come in?” His voice turned venomous. “Or is it that you can't?”

Adam ran a hand across his face. Whatever this was, whatever kind of revenge Pritchard had in store for him, he wasn't in the mood.

“Yeah, did you do that?” he asked bluntly.  
  
“I'm flattered you've noticed.” replied the hacker, the smugness in his voice almost palpable.

Adam leaned against the wall, his forehead pressed into the door frame. The Sentinel system was still fixing him and it hurt like hell. On top of that, he smelled of blood, sweat and god knows what else and was starting to be too tired to think straight. He had to give it to the bastard, he really outdid himself this time. Locking him out of his apartment while he was a stinking beaten bloody mess was a whole new level of assholery, one he had no idea the other man was capable of. He closed his eyes, trying to bring himself to speak. Given how badly he needed to get in there, he decided to try and appeal to Pritchard, fully aware that it most likely wouldn't work: “Look Francis, if this is about yesterday, I'm sorry. I know that I went too far. I shouldn't have pushed you.”

It took the hacker a moment to respond: “No, you shouldn't have. But don't worry, Jensen, you've proven a point. Your behavior was just as childish as I thought it would be.”

Adam bit back the retort that threatened to slip out of his mouth. He had to sway Pritchard to his side. It was either that or being up all night, trying to hack his way in.

“Seems like you're quite creative when you want to be.” he said instead.

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Jensen.” Pritchard shot back.

The aug pushed his back against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor: “It wasn't a compliment, just an observation. Although I have to admit, I probably wouldn't have thought of this.”

“That might be because you don't do much thinking in general.” proclaimed Pritchard snidely.  
  
“I don't understand you, Francis.”  
  
The words came out of Adam's mouth before he could stop them. He shook his head as if to snap out of a trance. Was he really so tired that he couldn't control himself anymore? Why did he say that?

This time, the pause was even longer: “Whatever could you mean.”  
  
The change in Pritchard's voice was barely audible, but it was there nonetheless. He still sounded snarky, but there was a different tone creeping in, one Adam couldn't quite place yet.

“Nothing. It's nothing.” he said quickly. “Would you let me in now? Please?”

The hacker sighed: “Alright, fine.”

The panel blinked to life with a green glow.

“Thanks.” muttered Adam as he walked in, the robotic voice greeting him with the familiar 'welcome home, Mr. Jensen'.

It seemed like Pritchard wasn't willing to leave him alone just yet: “Take a shower, Jensen. You smelled like shit when you got back.”

Adam shrugged away his coat: “Don't worry, I hate that smell as much as you do.”

“And by the way, that conversation isn't over.” added Pritchard, the new tone blending into the mix again.  
  
Now it took Adam some time to respond: “Yeah, I know.”


	6. Cry for me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam saves Pritchard and gets a reward. Or at least something Pritchard considers a reward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just typical Adam being Adam to be honest. We get some of the usual angst and a big spoonful of denial because stubborn Adam is stubborn. Also, my version of Pritchard is apparently a hidden pervert, so be ready for that xD

**Jensen's apartment, Thursday evening:**  
  
Adam slumped back on the couch, a glass of whiskey in hand. He eyed the bottle sitting on the table. Empty. He drank the whole thing from top to bottom and could barely feel anything. There was a slight sense of light-headedness, but that was it. The kind of thing that would happen to him if he drank two beers tops. Even that lasted for just a second before fading away. He emptied the glass in one swing, wishing that the Sentinel system had an off switch. Drinking without any effects whatsoever just wasn't fun anymore.

He reached for the pack of cigarettes resting right next to the bottle. It was foolish, the way he clinged to his old habits in spite of knowing that they were pointless, but it was the only thing that reminded him of his old self at this point and he just wasn't willing to let that go. His fingers reached inside the tiny box. Empty. Just his goddamned luck.

He tossed it aside and got up to find his discarded shirt. The only thing that would still be open at this hour was the kiosk a few blocks from here. The place had just a few shitty brands, none of which he enjoyed smoking, but a crappy cigarette was still better than no cigarette. Grabbing his coat along the way, he stalked out of his apartment.  
  
The walk to his destination was as harmless as he'd hoped it would be. Given the visible extent of his augmentations, it came as no surprise that the punks roaming the streets avoided him, probably thinking that taking on a hanzer wasn't worth the trouble. He lit his cigarette, leaving the kiosk behind him and was looking forward to a similarly quiet walk home.

As he walked down the streets getting closer and closer, he almost dared to relax, thinking that maybe, for once in his life, something would work out for him. He would enter the building, get back to his apartment and continue his evening brooding in peace.

As always, his hopes turned out to be in vain when his augmented hearing picked up a rough voice: “Give me all your credits, motherfucker!”

It was coming from his right side, just a back alley away from Sarif HQ. He tried to keep walking, he really did, but the fact that it wasn't his problem has never stopped him before and it wasn't about to stop him now. He dropped the stub from his cigarette and stepped on it as he headed towards the source of the noise.

“What are you deaf? I said hand over your credits!”

The servos in his arms whirred with anticipation. He wondered if the thug would still feel like stealing people's credits after he was done with him. He could see him from the side now, a typical image of a lowlife that played it tough with the civilians but would shit his pants the moment someone actually threatened him. The bastard was holding out a knife at someone, someone Adam couldn't see through the corner.

“That's it. No funny business, I've got a knife!”  
  
A knife, huh? Adam darted towards him and slammed into him with his shoulder, sending him plummeting to the ground. The thug cried out with both surprise and pain as he hit the concrete. Adam took a step forward, looming a threatening shadow over him. The blade in his right arm slid out of its compartment.

“Mine's bigger. Now how about you beat it before I stick it in you?” he said, his voice sounding like gravel on sandpaper. It was the kind of roughness he added whenever he was trying to intimidate someone.

The thug scurried away from him, trying his best to get up: “Fuck! Stay away from me, hanzer!”

Adam knew that he could beat the shit out of him right there and then, but he didn't bother. Given the panic attack the thug was experiencing already, he simply grabbed him by the collar and yanked him up, letting his feet hover a few inches off the ground. For added effect, he used just one arm. The thug's eyes widened with terror.

“Run.” he growled menacingly, his hand loosening its grip.  
  
The thug was more than willing to oblige, almost doing a face plant as he hurried into the night. Adam turned to the would-be victim of the robbery and recognized the man instantly.  
  
“Pritchard.” he said as he approached him.  
  
The hacker was a bundle of nerves, pale and completely tense. He had no visible injuries as far as Adam could tell, but he must've been scared out of his mind. He put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye: “Pritchard, it's me. You're alright.”

Pritchard finally looked _at_ him instead of _through_ him: “Jensen...”  
  
“Yeah.” replied Adam as he let go of him.

The hacker rubbed the back of his neck, a hint of sheepishness creeping into his voice: “What are you doing here?”  
  
“Saving you ass, it seems.” rumbled the aug quietly. “You should really start leaving work during daylight. It will spare you encounters with lowlifes that will try to rob you or just kill you and then loot the body.”  
  
Pritchard's pallor worsened: “So you think he would've...”  
  
Adam raised an eyebrow: “That guy? No. I know his type, he wouldn't have the guts. Probably gonna have nightmares about me for next week.”  
  
Pritchard averted his eyes, staring at his shoes: “Thank you, Jensen.”  
  
Adam inclined his head, slightly taken aback. An honest thank you was something he wasn't expecting. He shrugged it off after a moment's hesitation: “Just don't expect this to become a regular occurrence.”

Having that said, he turned and walked away, determined to make the short walk to his apartment as quick as possible. With any luck, he'd be out of the shower and asleep before midnight.

 

 

  
  
***************************************

 

 

  
Silence.  
  
Darkness.  
  
A sense of stillness falling over his body.

It was merely a calm before the storm. A calm before the nightmares came, before he would be lying on a table again, being torn apart by saws, jabbed at with needles, hearing dislocated voices above him...  
  
Pain...turning into agony.  
  
Thrashing.

Screaming.  
  
He had to get away. Had to escape.

The thrashing stopped. He was tied down, couldn't move.  
  
The pain was fading, but he could still feel their hands. Touching him, pulling at him...  
  
He jerked awake with a gasp, cold sweat running down his face. His eyes darted around frantically, his breathing ragged. He tried to sit up, but he couldn't. His arms and legs refused to obey him. A hand touched his chest carefully.

“Jensen.”  
  
The voice sounded concerned. And very familiar. It was close too. Must've belonged to the person touching him. He craned his neck to see.  
  
A man was sitting at the foot of his bed. It took his eyes a moment to adjust, but once they did...  
  
“...Francis?” he rasped. “Why...what are you doing here? I can't...” he trailed off as he tried to get his limbs to cooperate.  
  
Pritchard pulled his hand back: “Don't panic, it's not permanent.”

Adam looked at him, still only half-awake: “What?”  
  
Pritchard sighed: “Remember how I told you I could deactivate your augs? I wasn't joking when I said that.”

Adam let his head fall back onto bed, trying to steady his breathing and get himself at least remotely under control. He didn't want anyone to see him like this, especially not Pritchard. Scowling, he tried to will his eye shields to come out. His effort proved futile. Of course they wouldn't work. Whatever the idiot did to him, it sure packed a punch. He stared at the ceiling, trying not to let on how much the whole situation unnerved him.

“What have you done to me?” he heard himself ask, his voice somewhat rougher than he expected.

“I told you, it's not permanent.” replied the hacker. Judging by the soft rustling and the added weight on the mattress, Adam assumed that he was moving towards him. “Let's just say that powering you off like this spares me the trouble of having to find another way to restrain you.” Pritchard continued as his face came into view right above him.  
  
Upon noticing his expression, Adam couldn't help but glare at him: “Whatever you're about to do-”

Pritchard sighed: “You just love to complain, don't you? Looks like I'll have to find a way to keep your mouth shut, too.”

Adam's voice turned into a growl: “Pritch-mmph!”

His mouth was suddenly trapped in a bruising kiss. It was unbelievable, out of all the things the prick could possibly have done... Adam tried to turn away only to have a hand fist the hair on the back of his head and pull him back. The tug was surprisingly strong and quite painful. He growled against Pritchard's lips, the sound a mixture of anger and disbelief. The helplessness was really starting to get to him. A hand pulled at his sweatpants. He wouldn't... Adam stiffened as long fingers wrapped around his cock. Of course he would, it was probably what he came for in the first place.

The hand moved, slowly, teasingly, but Adam wasn't willing to give up yet. His arms might've been out of commission, but his mouth worked just fine. He parted his lips slightly and started kissing back, wanting to give Pritchard a false sense of security. The hacker seemed to take the bait as he let go of his hair and deepened the kiss, his tongue prodding for access. Adam allowed it, opening his mouth completely. Pritchard's tongue slid in, filling his mouth...and he bit down on it hard.

The muffled scream that followed was nothing short of priceless. Pritchard pulled at Adam's hair again, trying to make him let go. The metallic taste of blood filled both their mouths. Adam knew that his stunt was pointless, but like hell was he going down without a fight. The fingers around his cock moved downwards and dug into his balls frantically. He let out a cry of his own and released his bite, the pain being too much. Pritchard pulled back panting.

“You asshole! You really are a piece of goddamned work.” he hissed as he let go of him and wiped at the blood coming out of his mouth.

“You asked for it.” retorted Adam as he looked up at him.

Pritchard glared at him, his voice a mixture of snide and pissed off: “I know how to play this game too, Jensen.” He moved back towards him, his hand clamping over his crotch. “And I play it better. Let me show you.”

Before Adam could argue any further, his cock was trapped inside a surprisingly greedy mouth. His breath hitched in his throat. Pritchard licked him up and down, saliva mixed with blood spilling all over.

Adam rested his head on the bed again, feeling downright ashamed of himself. It took Pritchard all but a few seconds to get him hard. He was sucking him off just right, his head bobbing up and down in a deliciously obscene way. His hand joined in on the action and Adam had to bite down on the insides of his cheeks to prevent himself from moaning. He had to admit, the bastard sure knew how to give one hell of a blowjob.

Hard turned to rock-solid as Pritchard teased and tempted him, apparently determined to push him over the edge. Finally, the moan he was trying to stifle tore through Adam's throat. Pritchard took this opportunity to swallow him whole, his nose hitting the soft flesh of his lower stomach. Adam threw his head back with a noise he would later consider embarrassing. He was close, so close...

And then it all stopped. Pritchard released his cock with a smirk, leaving him a sweaty craving mess.

“You don't look too good, Jensen. Do you need something?” The smugness in his tone was sickening. “Want something?”

“I'm not begging you, Francis.” Adam growled back, the tiny hint of frustration creeping into his voice no matter how hard he tried to suppress it.

Pritchard seemed to be amused: “Who said anything about begging? You used such a nice phrase last time... All you have to do is ask, was it?”

“I'd rather die.” retorted Adam.

Pritchard shrugged, the amusement never leaving his tone: “Ever the grouch. Fine then, have it your way.”

Adam inhaled sharply as the assault continued. Pritchard sucked on him with the intensity of a raging vortex, the sensation almost painful. His back arched involuntarily, his mouth betraying him once again with a loud moan. How was the bastard doing this? How did he control him so easily? He closed his eyes and bit down on his lip as he was nearing the edge again. His body was becoming weightless, any second now...

His pleasure came to a rapid close as a set of teeth scraped against him unpleasantly. It wasn't exactly a bite, but it was enough to bring him back down. He growled, lifting his head to glare at the other man: “Francis...”

Pritchard didn't have to say anything, the look in his eyes and the grin that formed around Adam's tormented cock were enough of an answer by themselves.

_Cry for me, Jensen._

Adam groaned as the teeth pulled back behind the lips and Pritchard swallowed him whole again. He raised him high and tore him down, all within the span of a minute. It was a wave of pleasure followed by a sting of pain, another scrape of teeth. He could almost hear him in his head now.

_Cry me a river._

He shuddered as Pritchard came down on him once more. His resolve was weakening no matter how hard he resisted, the dreaded high coming back fast. He braced himself for the incoming bite when he was suddenly released, the torturous mouth pulling back.

“I can see you want something.” he heard from above. “What is it, Jensen?”

Unsure of when he'd closed them, he opened his eyes to see Pritchard's face looming right above his. He looked away, the embarrassment clawing at him like a wild animal. He was panting and judging by how hot he felt, his face must've been completely flushed, but like hell would he give him anything. He set his jaw, letting that serve as his answer.

Pritchard almost sighed: “Why are you so difficult all the time?”

Adam squeezed his eyes shut again, remaining stubbornly silent. He was tired and sore, but he'd sooner drop dead than admit it to him.

“Come on, Jensen. The sooner you say it, the sooner I leave, isn't that what you want?”

Adam looked up at him incredulously.

“You have my word.” said Pritchard with a half-smirk, his hand reaching out to resume the torture.  
  
Adam stiffened, his cock throbbing with a mixture of arousal and protest. If he had control over his limbs his fists would be clenching the sheets by now. Or, and this variant was much more likely, grabbing Pritchard by the hair and tossing him out of the apartment. His face contorted with the strain. He knew that he would hate himself for it, but he wanted to sleep so bad...

“Do it.” he breathed out.

Pritchard's smirk turned into a wolfish grin: “I'm sorry, what is it you said, Jensen?”

Adam glared up at him: “Fuckin' hell, Pritchard! You heard me...”

Knowing that that was probably the best answer he was going to get, Pritchard quickened the pace. Watching Jensen squirm was something he was looking forward to all night. The aug's eyes slammed shut immediately, his breathing turning into a set of moans. Pritchard lowered his free hand and grabbed his own craving cock, stroking them both in unison.

A few more moves and Jensen was grunting, his cock weeping white. Pritchard soon followed suit, his load gushing out all over the other man's stomach. He bowed his head, releasing them both.

“See? That wasn't so hard, was it?” he panted.  
  
The only answer he got was a bit of ragged breathing and then nothing.  
  
He raised his head to look at him: “Jensen?”  
  
Pritchard pursed his lips. It was infuriating how the other man seemed to be capable of falling asleep on command.


	7. Misery hates company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pritchard's dreams are crushed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know how they say "misery loves company"? Not this one. Some Pritchard's POV for a change...because we haven't had any of that since chapter 2 and I've missed it :) Funny how I refer to Adam solely as 'Jensen' in that part...the Pritchardness is getting to me it seems.

**Friday morning:**

Adam groaned as his alarm clock started blaring. The noise was usually just unpleasant, but today, it sounded downright cruel, as if the device was mocking him. His hand slammed into it, bashing it silent. He had one hell of a headache, probably from the lack of sleep. At this point, it was something he was used to, the soreness between his legs however...

He opened his eyes and sat up, feeling some dried up goo sticking at the skin on his stomach. He looked down at himself, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.  
  
_So it wasn't a dream..._  
  
He buried his face in his palm.

_Goddammit..._

With a sigh, he heaved himself upwards and headed for the bathroom. He needed a shower, needed to clear his head.

The water was cold on purpose. It was supposed to wake him up, make him forget, much like it usually made him forget the nightmares. He applied an extra amount of body wash to the spot on his stomach, but even as the dried up mess came off, the skin underneath it was red and itchy. Scowling, he stepped out of the shower. Why him? Out of all the people Pritchard could possibly pick, why did it have to be him? The hacker had nothing but disdain for him, their verbal snarkfests becoming a thing of legend among most of the employees at Sarif. Yet somehow, at the same time...

Adam rubbed the back of his neck. Was last night a payback for what he did? It would be just like Pritchard to hold a grudge until the time is right and then go out of his way to give him hell. He shook his head. Even if that turned out to be true, there was still that thing from two days ago...

 _By the way, that conversation isn't over._  
  
That tone was off, way off. At first, he didn't know what it meant but now he had an idea. A dreadful one, but still an idea. Grabbing his clothes along the way, he headed for the living room. He knew that his augs would hate him for it later on, but he decided to skip breakfast anyway. He needed to get to work as soon as possible, make the hacker understand that he wasn't interested in...whatever this was. Strapping into his tac vest, he grabbed his coat and left the apartment behind him.

 

 _  
_ ***************************************

  
  
Meanwhile, Pritchard seemed to be riding his usual 'Hacker extraordinaire' hype train. His fingers pounded at the keyboard mercilessly, the only break coming from an occasional sip from his coffee. A stray strand of hair brushed against his cheek, but he paid no attention to it. The only thing that mattered was the problem at hand.

Some fool thought that he would have a go at trying to breach his defenses and roam around the Sarif Industries' database. A predatory grin spread across the hacker's face as he thwarted every pathetic advance the would-be intruder tried to use against him. The whole effort was laughable at the very best. Amateurs. Was there no one who could pose at least a glimmer of a challenge?

With the last few flicks of his fingers he managed to eliminate the unwelcome presence completely. Satisfied, he leaned back in his chair. It was instances like this that made him realize just how much he loved his job. He reached for his cup of coffee. Empty. Alas, all beautiful things must come to an end.

He got up only to stop mid-movement at the sound of heavy steps heading towards his office. Sighing, he set the mug back on the table and sat down. It was ridiculous how he could recognize the man just by the sound of his steps. Then again, he was the only person in the building with augmented legs. The door swung open.

“Well look who it is, the almighty Sleepyhead himself!” deadpanned Pritchard as he looked up from his computer.

The position of Jensen's eyebrows indicated that he was glaring at him: “Cut the crap, Pritchard. We need to talk.”

The menacing look didn't faze him, it never did: “Oh goodie! I was just running out of work to do. What do you want, Jensen?”  
  
“I think the real question is what _you_ want, Francis.” retorted Jensen.  
  
Pritchard's eyebrow flew up high: “Really? How so?”

“For starters, you might want to explain to me what the hell last night was about.” continued the aug as he moved closer.

“You're only half a machine. You should know.”

“Don't play with me. I'm getting real sick of it.” growled Jensen as he leaned over the desk. “What do you want from me, Francis? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a thing for me.”  
  
Pritchard's stomach sank. He could already feel his cheeks starting to burn with embarrassment, but managed a scoff nonetheless: “A thing for...don't be ridiculous!” His voice lowered to a hiss. “What gave you that bright idea? The fact that I slept with you? Seriously Jensen, quit flattering yourself.”  
  
Jensen crossed his arms, his eyebrows now a steep arch: “Goddammit Pritchard, you kissed me last night! Even now you're sitting here blushing like a schoolgirl.”  
  
Pritchard glared at his computer, the traitorous red flaring up his cheeks completely: “You know Jensen, why don't _you_ just cut the crap for a change. If I recall our first encounter correctly, it was you who dragged me to that bedroom, not the other way around.”  
  
“Don't try to turn the tables here. You-”  
  
“Tell me something, Jensen.” interrupted Pritchard. “Does your dick have a life of its own? Because it sure seemed to be happy to see me recently.”  
  
Jensen shook his head: “You're unbelievable.”

“No, I'm just right and you hate me for it. That's nothing new.” Pritchard bit back glaring at him.

Jensen stepped away from the desk, apparently trying to put some distance between them.

“Leave me alone, Francis.” he said simply, his voice somewhat rougher around the edges.

“Why? So you can get back to that moody loner thing of yours?” retorted Pritchard. He let out a harsh sigh. “Look Jensen, I-”

The aug shook his head again: “I have to go.”

“So you're going to just-” Pritchard tried again.  
  
“See you, Francis.” replied Jensen quietly as he backed away from the room.

Pritchard stared at the empty doorway, his insides twisted into a knot. He remained motionless for what seemed like eternity before he bowed his head and sighed. Let the misery begin.


	8. No more words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pritchard has a surprise waiting for him at home :)

Pritchard pulled down his helmet and pressed the remote that would close the door behind him. His work was done for today and his bike safely in the garage, all he had to do now was survive the evening somehow. He headed for the front door with a sigh.

Since the argument he had with Jensen, his days have become sickeningly routine. His alarm clock would wake him up at 5AM, he would eat some meager breakfast, wash it down with a coffee or two and arrive at work by 6. Once there, he would work non-stop, only taking a break to snap at anyone who dared to disturb him or down some more coffee, maybe a sandwich for lunch. By the time he would finish, everyone would have vacated the building already. He would hop onto his bike and head home where he would eat whatever crap he had left in the fridge and then play video games until the burning in his eyes got from severe to downright unbearable. Once he'd be past that point, all it would take for the day to finally end would be a quick shower and setting his alarm clock to 5AM, rinse and repeat every day until weekend comes. Weekend, also known as 'the two days in which he would do pretty much the same thing except work from home and then play video games not until his eyes threatened to burn holes in his skull, but until he'd well and truly pass out from exhaustion'.

He was in a mindless drone mode, the main reason being that he simply didn't care. Or so he told himself. There was a small voice somewhere in the back of his mind, nagging him relentlessly about how the real reason why he did this to himself was denial. It told him that he had feelings. Repressed feelings that threatened to surface anytime he had a second to think.

Scowling, he swatted the thought like an annoying fly. All those feelings ever did was mess with him and he wasn't willing to have any more of that. No more butterflies in the stomach, no more late night fantasies and most importantly, no more Jensen. The idiot could go hang himself for all he cared. He would work with him, he had to unless he wanted Sarif to go all up his ass about it, but that was it, nothing more and nothing less. A strictly professional relationship that should've been there from the very start, not that he would ever stop snarking at the jerk. He swung open the door, determined to continue his one man crusade to numb himself...and stopped dead in his tracks.

His usually dark and quiet home was lit with a dim glow, the familiar voice of Eliza Cassan coming in from the next room. Pritchard's pulse quickened. He clearly remembered the TV being switched off when he left in the morning. A sense of panic started gnawing at him.

_Oh god...please, don't be anyone...don't be anything..._

He took in a shaky breath and forced himself to move forward. If there really was an intruder, he had to be a pro to get past his security protocols and a pro like that...the only hope Pritchard had left was that he would kill him quickly. The hacker pushed open the door to his living room, preparing himself for the worst.

The first thing he noticed was the face on TV. Eliza Cassan was delivering a news reel in her usual detached yet somehow still chirpy manner. His eyes panned to the couch and he had to rub them to make sure that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. Cushioned in the middle of it was none other than Jensen himself. Judging by the retracted eye shields and the discarded coat next to him, he sure looked like he was getting comfortable.  
  
“Hello, Francis.” he greeted as he noticed him.

Pritchard furrowed his brow, completely taken aback: “Jensen...how did you get in here?”

“I hacked the door to your backyard. Took me quite a while.” answered the aug as he got up to face him.

His voice sounded a little off, somewhat rougher than usual. There was also the way he moved. He was tense, like a cat ready to pounce. Pritchard sized him up cautiously.

“I suppose you have a reason for coming here?” he asked, a hint of uneasiness creeping into his tone as the other man stopped a mere step away from him.

“Yeah, I do.” replied Jensen as he further invaded his personal space.

Pritchard tried to back away only to hit a wall. His breath caught in his throat. He didn't like where this was going.

“What are you doing, Jensen?”

Instead of an answer, the aug placed both his hands on the wall. Pritchard stared up at him. With the other man's body mere inches from his and one augmented arm on each side at the height of his shoulders he was effectively trapped.

“Jensen...”

One of the arms reached for his collar and yanked him closer, the other man's lips crashing into his. Pritchard's eyes widened as the other one gripped his ass, sleek black fingers digging into it roughly. Jensen's breath was hot against his mouth, his lips moving with what seemed to be a furious need. Pritchard started struggling. He knew that he was no match for Jensen pre-augmentation, let alone now, but he wasn't willing to just let him do as he pleased. Using all the strength he could muster, he pushed against him with both arms, desperately trying to pry himself away. The corners of Jensen's lips twitched upwards as he pushed him back against the wall with what seemed like minimal effort. Pritchard growled as a knee was forced between his legs and his arms were pinned against the wall. It just wasn't fair. Jensen pressed his chest against him firmly and pulled back from the kiss, looking down at him.

“How dare you!” spat Pritchard angrily the moment he could speak. “Let go of me, you brute!”

He pushed against him one last time before the grip around his wrists became painful. His anger quickly turned into frustration. In his current position, he could hardly move a muscle, let alone fight him.

“Let me go.” he repeated, still glaring at him, but lowering his voice.

“Stop squirming and I might.” came the hoarse answer.

Pritchard scoffed with disbelief: “It's been two weeks, Jensen. Two weeks since you told me to leave you alone and now... You don't honestly expect me to just let you-hmpf!”

No way did he do it again... Pritchard jerked his head sideways to free his mouth.

“Are you out of your mind?” he hissed.

“No, just horny.” responded Jensen bluntly.

Pritchard stiffened as his chest was suddenly being crushed between the wall and some more weight of the insistent aug holding him. He was just about to gather the last bits of his breath to bitch something at him when those lips got him again. They were slightly chapped, but still, Jensen seemed to be a surprisingly good kisser when he set his mind to it... It was sloppy and hot, just the way Pritchard liked it. He closed his eyes, the objection dissolving into a quiet huff. With no room to move and hardly any breath left he decided that he might as well just get on with it and start kissing back.

A low rumble came from the back of Jensen's throat the moment he did. Pritchard inhaled sharply as a ravenous tongue was shoved inside his mouth, its frantic movements a clear indication of just how much truth that last remark held. He moaned into it, suddenly wishing that his hands were free. He wanted to touch the other man the same way he was touching him, no matter how embarrassed it was making him feel. The tongue pulled out just as quickly as it came in, leaving Pritchard flushed and panting.

“You've got no idea how much I hate you right now.” he proclaimed once his breath steadied a little.

“Pretty sure I do. The feeling's mutual.” grunted Jensen as he assaulted his mouth once more.

Pritchard kissed back vigorously, his pants suddenly feeling very tight. Jensen must've felt it too because he broke off the kiss immediately, giving him a hungry look. Shit, he was too hot when he did that...

Pritchard licked his lips: “Are you going to just stare at me or will you let me go so that I can take care of that...problem of yours?”

Jensen backed away watching him warily.

“Finally, you've come to your senses...” commented Pritchard as he started rubbing his wrists and attempted to push past him only to have his path blocked. He sighed: “Don't give me that look, I just want to turn off the TV.”

Jensen stepped aside, but the hacker could still feel his gaze following his every move. Rolling his eyes, he reached for the remote and pressed it, plunging the room into almost complete darkness.

“Now if you promise to stop behaving like a caveman we can go to the bedroom.”

“If you insist.” replied Jensen as he drew closer and started undressing him, his touch still rough, but nowhere near as invasive as before.

Satisfied, Pritchard started working on the tac vest.

By the time they've reached the bedroom, they'd left a trail of clothes behind them, leading from the living room all the way to the bed. A king-size bed that was intended for two, but could probably fit as many as four people if they huddled close enough. Pritchard shoved Jensen onto it, a little surprised that he'd let him. The aug propped himself up on his elbows, waiting.

The hacker didn't leave him alone for long as he got down on his knees and took him in his mouth. He could tell that the other man fell back on the bed the moment he heard that groan. It was very husky and quiet, even for Jensen, but it was there and Pritchard couldn't get enough of it. He ran his mouth up and down the already half-erect length, stopping only to flick his tongue across the slit teasingly. Alright, maybe he did miss the idiot, but still... the way he sounded last time was so much better. More fitting too, because no matter what Jensen might be thinking, he wasn't about to forgive him.

He sucked on him one last time before biting down gleefully. The reaction was even more intense than he imagined. Jensen let out a surprised yelp and almost kicked him. Thankfully, his aim seemed to be off whenever messing with his cock was in play and he missed. Pritchard grinned around his prey, giving it one more squeeze.

“Ow!” growled Jensen as he struggled to sit up, his hands reaching around in an attempt to pry him away. “I should've known you'd act like a dick...”

Pritchard released him and pulled away from his reach: “Well what did you expect, a red carpet and confetti? I'm not your toy, Jensen and I want you to remember it this time.”

Finishing that sentence was the last thing he managed before the man was on top of him. He held him down, the look in his eyes speaking volumes: “And I want you to remember that I'm not yours.”

Pritchard stared up at him, his head pounding with both arousal and pain from being smacked against the floor. He opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a moan as his cock was suddenly trapped in the possessive grip of the aug's hand. The metal felt warm, almost sickeningly so and the way those fingers squeezed him... He leaned into the touch before he could stop himself.

“Can I trust you to climb into bed without trying to attack me now or do I have to fuck you right here?” rumbled Jensen.

“Bed.” answered Pritchard immediately.


	9. Wake up call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning comes...

Pritchard groaned as his eyes fluttered open. He was in his bed, at home, that was good. The lack of covers on him and the extra weight behind him however...

He rolled over to his other side, a tuft of messy dark hair coming into view. Oh, right... Of course he'd stay the night. And of course he'd be a jerk about it and steal his covers, it's not like he needed them, not like he was getting cold from being naked all night. Pritchard furrowed his brow. He remembered only vaguely... Yes, they fucked in the evening, but... Did they fuck again later or was that just a dream? Whichever the case, he felt good. Almost too good...

Deciding to let the theft of his covers slide for now he sat up and ran a hand through his hair. A mess, even more so than the one he was looking at. Jensen didn't seem to notice that he moved as he stayed in the same position, still very much asleep. Pritchard inclined his head to take a closer look. The expression on the man's face was calm, his breathing steady. He looked so peaceful that way...like he was finally getting a proper rest after weeks. The way he was curling in on himself was actually borderline adorable...

Pritchard shook his head. What the hell? No way did he just use the words 'Jensen' and 'adorable' in the same thought! And even if he did, it's nothing special, everyone is cute when they sleep... He glanced over at his alarm clock to distract himself. The time was 7AM.

_Oh shit!_

He darted from the bed instantly. Shit, shit, shit! Dammit! First, Jensen just has to go out of his way to find him and break into his house and now this! He rushed around the room searching for his clothes.

“Wake up, Jensen!” he called out as he started stuffing himself into his pants.  
  
A husky groan and some shifting...

Pritchard sighed with exasperation. He didn't have time for this...

“Rise and shine, come on!” he said as he pulled the covers down from the bed.  
  
Jensen growled in protest: “Pritchard?!”  
  
“Yes, it's me. Now get up, would you?” rapped on the hacker as he ran out of the room.

“What the hell's going on?” he heard Jensen call after him.  
  
“Thanks to that little break-in of yours, we're late for work, that's what's going on!” grunted Pritchard as he collected some more of his clothes from the floor.

“You mean _you're_ late for work...” rasped the aug as he stalked out of the room and stopped at the doorway rubbing his face.

“Check the clock, idiot! We're both late!” exclaimed Pritchard as he grabbed the other pair of pants and practically threw them in his face.

Wasting no more time with the conversation, he pulled on his turtleneck along with a pair of socks. He could hear some rustling of fabric and the sound of a zipper coming closed behind him. Good, at least he didn't have to explain to him what to do with the pants...

“I don't get it, Francis, aren't you supposed to be up at 5 or so?”

Pritchard froze mid-movement, a hint of red creeping up his cheeks. He forgot... he actually managed to forget...

“Well, my alarm clock's broken.” he blurted out.

“Looks fine to me.”

Pritchard didn't have to look to know that the other man was raising an eyebrow. Just hearing the tone of his voice was enough. He fumbled around the couch for his jacket: “This is all your fault, Jensen! You...distracted me and then I forgot to set it!”

“You mean you're paranoid enough to set your clock manually every day.”  
  
The amusement in that sentence was sickening. More so, because it wasn't a question. Pritchard pulled on his jacket, objecting: “It's failed me before. Now if you're done discussing my habits, I suggest you find the rest of your clothes and get out of here because I'm locking the house when I leave. Oh, and I hope you didn't come on foot because I'm not taking you to work on my bike.”

“I do own a car.” answered Jensen from right behind him. “I just don't use it very much because of how close to the HQ I live.”

“Three minutes, Jensen.” grunted Pritchard as he started tying up his hair. “Then I'm off and you'll have to hack your way out of here.”  
  
“And leave your precious house unlocked for anyone to ransack once I do.” commented the aug as he pulled on his shirt.  
  
“Get. Moving.” growled Pritchard.

 

 

  
_  
_ ***************************************

 

 

  
  
Adam walked into the lobby, checking for any signs of Pritchard. The hacker must've been speeding because his bike was already parked outside and he was nowhere to be seen, probably rushed into his office already. All the better for Adam. There were not that many people around, but he still didn't want them to see him coming in with him. The extra attention he'd receive for being an hour late was enough, no need to make it worse by running in two steps behind...

“Hey, Jensen.”

He stopped in his tracks, a little surprised. Leaning against the wall by the nearby vending machine was Faridah Malik. As usually, she was clad in her wing-suit, probably on a coffee break judging by the steaming plastic cup in her hand.

“You look real relaxed today, that extra hour of sleep done you that good?” she continued with a mischievous smile.

“After two weeks of hardly sleeping? Yeah, you could say that.” he tried to joke.

“Well, I really hope those dreams were worth it because you've just missed the sight of your life.” she said, the smile never leaving her face. “I saw Pritchard rush through here just a minute before you showed up. Any idea why Mr. P for Precise might be running late today?”

“Not a clue.” shrugged Adam.

Faridah took a sip from her coffee: “Funny how he seemed to look ten years younger. Like he was _alive_ , you know what I mean?”

Damn right he knew. He watched that look for the better part of the night, but he couldn't tell that to Malik...  
  
“Hard to imagine that on Pritchard.” he shrugged again.

“I know, right? Something's definitely going on here.” pondered Faridah.  
  
“Knowing Pritchard, he probably just found a way to quadruple the security protocols. Or came up with some inventive new ways to annoy people.” interjected Adam, hoping that she'd finally drop the subject.  
  
“I don't know, something tells me that's not the case. In fact, looking at you now...” she continued, the mischievous smile turning into a downright naughty grin. “Any chance you boys finally decided to get it on?”  
  
Adam did a double take: “What?”

“You don't have to play dumb with me, we're both adults.” she said, the grin widening.

Adam was tempted to facepalm. Or just excuse himself to his office and bar the door from the inside.

_Great...that went well..._

“I've got no idea what you're talking about.” he said in the most neutral tone he could manage.

Faridah punched him in the shoulder playfully: “Come on, Spy boy, you're a catch! And you always bicker at each other like an old married couple.”

“Meaning?”

The pilot sighed, lowering her voice: “Meaning: have you slept with him?”  
  
Adam raised an eyebrow: “With Pritchard? I hope you're joking.”  
  
“Hey, all I know is that he came to work two hours late and then you showed up not five minutes later, looking like you've just returned from a weekend in a spa.” insisted Faridah. “You can fool the others, but not me. I know you better than that. Besides, he has a massive crush on you so it would make perfect sense.”  
  
“Imagining that is even harder. How do you know?” asked Adam, his expression unreadable.  
  
“I'm so not divulging my sources to you.” grinned Faridah. “Anyway, judging by the way you're trying to stonewall me, I think I'm right.” She finished her coffee in a single gulp. “Don't worry though, my lips are sealed.” Throwing the cup in a nearby trash can, she winked at him as she walked away: “I'll see you around, Spy boy.”  
  
A short 'yeah' was all he managed. Damn it...she did know him well by now.


	10. Blatant lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam ends up being forced to lie to save himself...in his defense, it's all Pritchard's fault.

Adam tilted his head back inhaling sharply. What he was doing was wrong, just downright wrong... And yet here he was, sitting in his office with his pants down, his cock trapped inside that hungry mouth again. The whole situation was ridiculous.

Pritchard just walked into his office without saying much of anything and sat down on his desk while he was working on a report he had to hand in later. He told him that now was not the time the instant he noticed that glint in his eyes, but as always, the hacker wouldn't listen. Instead, he just pressed the button that controlled the blinds and leaned into his lap, his hand teasing him _that_ way.

Adam let out a throaty moan as the pressure around his cock increased.

He knew that he should've shoved him away then, should've thrown him out... But damn, the bastard sure knew what he was doing with that hand and it's already been a few days since they've done anything... Pritchard climbed under his desk, his hand still teasing him while the other one started working on his belt. He opened up his pants and he let him. Not only that, he actually propped himself up to give him enough room to pull them down. Pull everything down. What the hell was wrong with him?  
  
He closed his eyes, his hand coming down to fist the hacker's hair. Only one option remained, he had to make it quick. Even if it meant making Pritchard gag on it. It wasn't like he cared anyway and spraying it all over the prick's face was something that would make it that much better... Grabbing a tighter hold of the hair, he was just about to set his plan in motion when he picked up approaching footsteps. His hand flew back up immediately. He had but a few seconds...

“Pritchard...” he rasped. “Someone's coming. Just...be quiet down there.”

The mouth pulled back from him just a nanosecond before the door swung open.

“Adam!”

_Shit..._

“You alright there, son? You look a little tense.” inquired Sarif the moment he noticed his posture.

“I'm fine, boss.” replied Adam, surprising even himself with how relatively leveled his voice sounded. It was still somewhat rougher than usual, but it would have to do. “I just...my augs are acting up a bit. Think I should stop skipping breakfast like this.”  
  
A blatant lie. A really, really bad one at that, but it seemed to work as Sarif threw his hands up in the air with frustration: “Christ, Adam! I warned you about this, those augs need fuel! You can't function properly if you keep skipping your meals like this and I need you in top shape for your next assignment!”

Adam stiffened, his hands coming down to grip the arm rests of his chair. Son of a... If he could, he would kick Pritchard in the face right there and then, but Sarif was still talking to him and the motion would surely raise more questions. All he could do was lean back and pretend that nothing was happening while the prick was almost literally eating his cock alive down there, nevermind the fact that their boss just walked into the goddamned room...

“Adam, are you even listening to me?” asked Sarif, his arms now crossed.

“Of course.” managed the aug, straining to sound normal. He was really thankful for those eye shields right now, thankful that Sarif couldn't see through them and notice how he closed his eyes. Pritchard's mouth was fast, relentless... He breathed out, trying to focus on what the boss was saying instead.

“...well, I'm sure you understand how important this is.”

Adam gripped the chair even tighter, pretty sure that if his hands were still flesh, his knuckles would turn white by now. Pritchard was sucking him in hard, the entire length of his cock getting buried inside. He could hear Sarif talking, but the words weren't making any sense. They didn't even sound like words anymore, more like just some background noise. He forced his eyes open and almost gave himself away as he barely managed to stifle a groan. If only the boss would leave...or at least turn around for a bit so that he could knock Pritchard out... He bit down on the insides of his cheeks.

_Come on, focus..._

“...I'm not saying that just because I need you for that job, I'm worried about you, son. If you keep going like this, it might cause permanent damage.”

His boss was concerned about him, that much he could make out and he grabbed onto that bit of information like a drowning man grabs onto driftwood.

“I'm sorry, boss...” he rumbled.

Sarif sighed: “Just head over to the LIMB clinic and get those augs something to work with, ok? You look like you're ready to pass out.”  
  
_No kidding..._

Adam nodded, refusing to risk opening his mouth. At this point, he was barely able to sit straight, let alone form a coherent sentence. His cock was throbbing with anticipation and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up his act without going insane. All he wanted was to arch his back, moan and spray his load all over the inside of his desk...

“Meet me in my office once you're back. I still have to fill you in on the details.” said Sarif as he turned to leave. “And Adam? I don't want to see you like this again.”

Adam nodded once more, the pressure in his balls reaching a level that was very close to unbearable. Just a few more seconds...  
  
He let out a quiet moan the moment the door closed, waves of pleasure pulsing through his cock as he came straight into Pritchard's mouth. His entire body trembled with the sensation, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

_Finally..._

He twitched as the hacker released him, a set of bony fingers digging into his knees seeking hold. Still panting, he looked up to see the image he expected: the prick was leaning above him, his face slightly red and his hair a complete mess. Must've been damn proud of himself judging by that triumphant smirk of his... Adam wasn't sure whether he wanted to start choking him or just punch him in the face.

“Pritchard?” he breathed. “One of those days...I'm going to kill you...”

The hacker didn't seem to be impressed by the threat as his smirk widened: “Just admit that you enjoyed it, Jensen. You always play it tough, but in the end, we both know what you want...”  
  
“Not with Sarif in the room!” snapped Adam back at him.

Pritchard's smirk turned lecherous: “So you do like it when I play with you.”

“You're disgusting.” glowered Adam as he straightened in the chair.

“More like your best shot at having an actual sex life, deal with it.” commented Pritchard as he ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to get it back under control.

“Get the hell out of my office.” growled Adam.


	11. Off the charts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pritchard has a bad day... Because of an OC I just came up with on the fly.

It was going to be one of those difficult days. One of those days in which the boss decided to make Pritchard's life miserable by assigning him on babysitter duty. Again. Jensen was sent out on another one of his retrieval missions and of course, he had to be the one to guide him through the entire process. By now, it was a routine operation for him, he had to locate the hardware they were looking for, find the least conspicuous path to acquiring it and then guide the fool in and out while monitoring his vitals to make sure that he doesn't get himself killed. Long story short, doing most of the work while Jensen gets all the credit. Oh, so much fun...

To make the entire ordeal even more annoying, he was stuck with a rather messy box of tissues on his desk and the unnerving urge to blow his nose every few seconds. The first snow hit Detroit last week and already, he had a cold to show for it... He perked up in his chair, trying to sound as snarky as possible: “How are you holding up, Jensen? Having fun with your little vent-crawling exercise?”  
  
“You've got no idea how much.” came an equally snide response. “How's your ass doing, Francis? Still not tired of being buried in a chair all day?”

“Some of us have an actual job to do while you're out there, busy pretending to be a hero.” retorted Pritchard as he reached for a tissue and wiped his nose.

“Yeah, maybe if you cared less about your job and more about your health you wouldn't have a cold now.” commented Jensen dryly. “For starters, you could've listened to me when I told you that you should start leaving work at normal hours. Not only is it stupid to be outside at night while it's snowing, it's even stupider to ride around on your bike when you could be sitting in a car with actual heating.”

“I already told you Jensen, I'm not buying a car.” protested Pritchard irately. “Now if you really want to make yourself useful and get on with the mission, I suggest you start crawling faster and reach that corridor I was talking about earlier.”

“What's the rush, Francis? It's not like you're the one risking your life here.”  
  
“No, but the sooner you get there the better. The hardware will be moved within the next half an hour and I don't want to have to go through the chore of guiding you to its new location.”

“And you're telling me this now?!” growled Jensen.

Pritchard rolled his eyes, trying to make his voice convey that: “You're almost there. Once you are, all you have to do is eliminate the few remaining guards and avoid the cameras and lasers. I'm sure you can handle that within a few minutes, so the time I gave you is more than enough.”

The aug let out a harsh sigh: “It's enough to take it, but nowhere near enough to get out of here. They'll be looking for me before I can make it past the first floor.”

“Which isn't a problem as long as they don't actually find you. They'll have no way of knowing where you are unless you do something stupid and let them know.”

“I know, Francis. I was just hoping I could do this without the time limit and extra attention.”

The response was laden with a specific kind of dry sarcasm that Jensen seemed to reserve only for communicating with him, the kind he used when he was trying to be professional and hide that he was genuinely pissed at him.

Unfazed, the hacker replied with a dose of his own: “Where would the fun in that be? Now if you're done complaining, get a move on and contact me once you have the hardware. Pritchard out.”

He leaned back in his chair eyeing the mug on his table. The tea it contained was bound to be cold by now. Obviously, he hasn't touched it since he'd made it a few hours ago. Not that he was dying to, it was tea after all and he's never been a fan of those. He even forgot to take out the bag so the flavor surely wouldn't win any awards...

_No use drinking it now._

If his estimation was correct, he still had a bit of time left until Jensen called. A bit of time he would put to good use by getting some coffee instead. Grabbing a bunch of tissues just in case, he emptied the contents of his mug into the trash can and walked out of his office. If most of the employees hated him already, why not add the cleaning lady to the list?

The route from his office to the nearest coffee machine was obnoxiously long and completely unnecessary as far as he was concerned. If only Sarif had listened to his countless requests for putting one near his door... Or at least on the same floor once the boss resolutely declined the first proposition... Did he not understand that maybe if his Head of cyber-security didn't have to walk through an entire floor just to get a damn cup of coffee, he wouldn't be in such a crappy mood all the time? Not to mention all the people he might meet on the way...

Pritchard punched in his order and scowled as he had to wipe his nose again. The annoyances were really starting to get to him as they just didn't want to stop piling up. He was half-expecting the coffee machine to jam and leave him having to rely on caffeine pills again.

At least that's what he considered to be the worst case scenario until a voice spoke up from behind him: “Oh, hi Pritchard.”

He almost let out a groan as he turned around: “Grant.”

A tall redhead stood in front of him. She was the latest addition to the team, a friend of Malik's and the new secondary pilot. Sarif hired her claiming that he couldn't leave so much work on 'poor Faridah', but now that Pritchard got a closer look at her waist-length hair, full lips, blue eyes and a body type every model would envy, he saw a whole lot of different reasons for keeping her around.

“Caught up with some cold?” she asked, a curious look on her face.

Pritchard sighed. She was new and apparently, Malik never told her how much he hated small talk. Or just talking to people in general.

“Yes.” he answered shortly as he turned back to the coffee machine and mentally urged it to work faster.

There was a soft giggle behind him. It was stifled, but still audible. He turned back around only to notice a small smile on the woman's lips.

“What's funny?” he asked, brow raised.

“Nothing. It's just...I'm sorry, this is awkward.” she answered sheepishly, her hand flying up to rub the back of her neck. “I just didn't think you were the type, not that it's any of my business...”

Now Pritchard was geninely confused and even more irritated: “The type? What type? What are you on about?”

“Well, you've got a hickey on your jaw.”

Pritchard stiffened. Given all the crap he had to put up with since morning he almost forgot. Almost...

_Damn it, Jensen..._

Why? Why did he have to be such an animal? He knew that Pritchard wore turtlenecks all the time, but he just had to go out of his way and bite him in a spot people would notice...

As if to rub more salt in the wound, Grant continued: “I've heard some rumors about you and this other security guy...Jensen, right? The quiet one, always clad in black... Can't say I blame you, he's really cute!”

The coffee machine beeped, signaling that Pritchard's order was done. Saved by the bell... He turned around and snatched his mug from it: “I don't know what you've heard but I'm pretty sure I want nothing to do with him. Now if you'll excuse me I've got work to do.”

Having that said, he rushed towards the stairs. Oh, the nerve of some people...The woman's been here just for two weeks and already she thought she knows everything. Pritchard scowled blowing his nose again. Annoying blabbermouths... Why couldn't they all just mind their own business and leave him alone? Which one of them even told her? Was it Malik? Did she know about them? Did they all know? Who else was in on him?

With all that on his mind he almost kept walking as the door to his office popped up on his left. Almost. Better get back to Jensen, Sarif will have his hide if anything goes wrong. He scoffed as he headed towards his desk. Of course it would be his fault. It's not like those 'missions' the boss keeps coming up with are a perfectly safe and legal part of his or Jensen's contract, but that's never stopped Sarif's ranting before...

As if to mock him further, a warning popped up on his screen the moment his ass touched the chair. The alarm has been engaged, Jensen must've screwed up. His hands darted towards the keyboard: “What are you doing in there, Jensen?”

“I'm compromised.” came a gruff answer mixed with gunfire. “You forgot to mention that the guards were augmented for that extra measure of security.”

That was it, Pritchard's finally had enough. Wiping at his nose furiously, he answered as irately as his blocked sinuses allowed him: “That's because I didn't know. It's not like they just write down all the specs and hand them over to me whenever the boss sends you out somewhere.”

“Obviously.” rumbled Jensen.

“Your brain's augmented beyond belief and yet somehow, you still manage to be a primitive.” deadpanned Pritchard.

“And here I thought your favorite name for me was 'brute'.” commented Jensen dryly.

“Prick...” grumbled Pritchard as he threw the tissue in the trash.

“Yeah, I know you are. You're being one right now.” answered Jensen, his second sentence almost drowned out by a pained groan and some more gunfire. He probably took down one of the guards.

“Maybe I wouldn't be if you stopped pretending that I'm food whenever we...” Pritchard hesitated. Should he really be saying that? It wouldn't surprise him if Jensen's infolink stored data for later use or even sent it out on a server somewhere. If he says something he shouldn't...

_The employees are talking about you already so it's only a matter of time before someone brings it up in front of Sarif. How much worse than that could it get?_

“Why the jaw, Jensen? You know the first thing people look at is your face, right?”

“What the hell are you talking about, Francis?” asked Jensen, his voice now irritated as well.

“I'm talking about how you couldn't help but go out of your way and bite me in a spot people would notice! You should've heard her. Oh Pritchard, you've got a hickey on your jaw, I had no idea you had a sex life!” snapped Pritchard.

“What? Who were you talking to?”

“Grant. She knows, Jensen. She's been in this company for a little more than two weeks and she knows because apparently, this whole damn building knows and keeps talking about us!” the hacker ranted on.

“Yeah, well, could we maybe not talk about this while I'm being shot at?” grunted Jensen in response.

“But then you'll just shrug it off and hide in your office refusing to talk to me for the rest of the day!” objected Pritchard.

“Exactly!”

“Wow, you really need-”

“What I really need right now is to concentrate and you're not helping, Pritchard.” growled the aug. “If you have nothing useful to say to me I'm gonna cut it short until I'm done here. Jensen out.”

Pritchard snatched another tissue from the box. Augmented guards, how was he supposed to know? It was enough that Sarif went all up his ass whenever he was gathering intel for missions, no need for Jensen to join in on the hassle. Even getting the blueprints of the building wasn't exactly a cakewalk and he still managed to do it. The hacker blew his nose and wrinkled the tissue into a tight ball as he clenched his fist.

_No need to thank me, Jensen. Since it's so easy to get a hold of all the info you need, I'll just let you do it all by yourself next time, see how well that's gonna end..._

He threw the ball into the trash and glanced at the chart that displayed the other man's vitals. An elevated heart rate, but otherwise nothing out of ordinary. Had to be the adrenaline rush from the fight.

_I'm pretty sure your augmented mercs don't even exist anywhere on paper, that's kind of the point when you're trying to have an 'extra measure of security' as you called them._

Pritchard shook his head. Was he really arguing with an imaginary Jensen in his mind right now? He crossed his arms and glared at the computer as if it were the man himself. No, he was going to wait. The time for that was yet to come.

His cue came one downed coffee later: “Pritchard.”

“Done so soon?” prodded the hacker snidely.

“Yeah, had a spare grenade but forgot about it because of your ranting.” Jensen bit back. “I'm heading back with the hardware now.”

“You actually managed to do something all by yourself. I'm shocked.” deadpanned Pritchard.

“I was hoping you'd be used to that by now. It's what I do most of the time.” answered Jensen nonchalantly. “Now what is this crisis about the entire company knowing something about us?”

“As if you suddenly cared.” scoffed Pritchard. “Well, if you really want to know, it seems like our recent...escapades...haven't gone unnoticed.”

“Because of the new pilot pointing out that you have a hickey?” inquired Jensen, his voice indicating a raised eyebrow.

“She even had the nerve to call you cute.” grunted Pritchard before he could stop himself.

There was a beat of silence before Jensen responded. He sounded amused, almost gleeful: “You're jealous.”

“What?”

“You're jealous that she likes me.” prodded the aug, the mirth in his voice now downright unnerving.

“What? I... That's preposterous!” objected Pritchard, his face flaring up red. “Why should I be jealous of some random woman you've barely met?”

“Beats me. Mostly because jealousy tends to come with relationships and as far as I know, we're not dating, Francis.”

“I know that, Jensen! You've made it very clear multiple times.” the hacker bit back, trying his best to conceal the tiny hint of bitterness creeping into his voice. He gripped the bridge of his nose with a sigh. This was making him more nervous than he'd like to admit.

_Concentrate on the facts. You know how he is, he's only going to mock you if you keep this up... Just stop acting like a woman with her hormones off the charts and tell him._

He blew his nose before continuing: “The problem here is that you're missing the point, which is: How does a woman who's been at this company for a little more than two weeks find out about something like this? She outright told me that she heard rumors, Jensen! Now where do you think those came from, a romance novel? The others are obviously talking about us.”

For a moment, Pritchard thought that the other man decided to ignore him. No sound came from the transmission save for the soft noises of his advance through the vent. The hacker was just about to start talking again when the answer came: “And why does that bother you?”

“Why does...” Pritchard muttered before his brain deciphered the words. He scoffed the moment it did: “Are you even listening to me? I-”

“Unfortunately, I am.” interrupted Jensen irately. “I understand what you're saying, what I don't understand is why you care.” he added in a more reserved tone.

Pritchard shook his head with disbelief: “Are you suggesting that I just pretend none of it happened and go on acting like I've got no idea what all those strange looks and fits of giggles are about?”

“I know this may come as a shock to you, Francis, but it's just the way people are.” deadpanned Jensen. “They talk. Always have and always will.”

“So you really just don't care and are really trying to tell me that I should do the same.”

“You catch on quick when you want to.” commented the aug dryly. “If you insist on talking it through we can do that when I get back. Right after we discuss that fit of jealousy you've had.” he added gleefully.

“There is nothing to discuss because I'm not jealous.” protested Pritchard. “Certainly not of a woman.” he added aggrievedly.

“Right. Sure.” rumbled Jensen as he started pulling himself out of the vent. "Later then."


	12. Affection and contempt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A scene-based chapter mostly centered on mutual affection...and some violence in the workplace. Yes, very much 'idiots in love' kind of stuff.

Adam twitched in his sleep as he heard someone say his name.

“Jensen...”

Still more asleep than awake, he rolled over to his other side.

“Jensen...are you there?”

Knitting his brow, he scowled. Someone was definitely calling for him, the question remained...

“Jensen...”

And just like that, the dreams were gone. He jerked awake, trying to figure out who the voice belonged to and where it was coming from.

“Jensen...if you're there...”

Right, the infolink... So the voice was in his head. It sounded strained, but he still recognized it.

“Pritchard?” he rasped. “What's wrong?”

“Fever...too high...can barely move...” the hacker almost coughed.

Adam sat up quickly: “Fever? Where are you? Are you in pain?”

“Actually...I feel a little numb...”

“Where are you, Pritchard?” insisted Adam as he started rummaging through the room for a pair of pants.

“Home...” came the breathy answer. “I think...”

“You think? What's that supposed to mean?” grunted Adam as he found them and started putting them on.

No answer.

“Pritchard?” he tried again. “Pritchard!”

He felt tempted to punch the wall.

_Goddammit..._

“HUD on.” he growled as he scoured the room for the rest of his clothes. 1:57AM. So he had about two hours of sleep behind him. They would have to do, if Pritchard was really at home it wasn't such a long drive.

_Fever too high...the idiot probably passed out. I should've known he'd wind up sick with how much he neglected that cold._

Almost growling with frustration, he flipped through a pile of clothes scattered on the floor. He really should get around to cleaning up a bit one of those days...

 

 

*****

 

 

About half an hour later he pulled up in front of Pritchard's house. All the lights were off save for the one in the bedroom, that was a good sign. Still, he had to make sure. Locking his car, he hid the keys in one of his pockets and walked up to the front door. The fact that it was guarded just by a keypad surprised him when he's been here the first time. Then again, setting up a bunch of sentries and boxguards would probably be an overkill, even for Pritchard. He flipped it open and scowled. Security level 5, just like last time. That was going to take a while, unless... Adam almost shook his head. Pritchard was the most paranoid person he knew so hoping that he hasn't changed the access code to his back door was probably just wishful thinking. Still, worth a try given the situation...

Jumping over the fence on the side, he stalked through the backyard to face another keypad. Security level 5, obviously, but at least here he could try the code. Punching in the numbers he remembered, he pressed the confirm button. Much to his surprise, the screen glowed green, giving him the chirpy _'access granted'_ he was hoping for.

_Huh...out of character, but useful._

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

For once luck seemed to be on his side as he noticed Pritchard sprawled out on the floor the moment he approached the bedroom. He was lying on his side, eyes shut and sweat sticking his hair to his face. Adam knelt beside him and pulled him into his arms, feeling his forehead for temperature.

“Francis, can you hear me?” he rumbled quietly, a scowl spreading across his face. The man was positively burning up and it was hard to tell whether he was just asleep or unconscious. “Francis.” he repeated, this time somewhat more urgently.

An unintelligible mumble for an answer. Definitely conscious, even if just barely...

“It's me, Jensen.” Adam insisted, rearranging Pritchard in his arms so that he could see his face clearly.

The hacker's eyes fluttered open: “Adam...?”

The fact that he'd used his first name instead of just calling him 'Jensen' hit him like a crack of a whip. The way he seemed to be looking through him instead of at him wasn't really reassuring either. Pritchard reached out to touch his face, trailing his fingers along the scruff of his beard.

“You look so beautiful out here in the sun...” he proclaimed almost lovingly. He was definitely out of it, big time.

“Great...you're hallucinating.” Adam sighed. He was no doctor, but if a fever was high enough to make one see things that were not there it had to be lowered, stat, that much he knew. He hauled Pritchard up into his arms and carried him over to bed, bridal style. “Stay put, ok? I'll go get you some towels and hopefully find a thermometer somewhere along the way.” he said as he lowered him onto the mattress.

Surprisingly, one of Pritchard's arms shot up to grab him by the forearm and despite visibly struggling to get the words out, he managed to grunt: “Don't leave me...” The grip tightened a little. “Please...”

“I'm not leaving Francis, I just need to get some things.” Adam tried to explain.

“Don't go...” insisted Pritchard.

“I'll be right back.” Adam tried to reassure him as he yanked his arm free.

Now the hacker clawed at him with both hands: “Adam...” His tone was half pained and half pleading.

“Pull it together, Pritchard.” growled the Aug irritably. “Despite what you might be thinking right now, you're not dying. Now let me go so that I can help you.”

Finally, Pritchard seemed to understand as his arms sank back onto bed, his tone somewhat aggrieved: “Don't yell at me...”

Adam swallowed the retort threatening to slip out of his mouth and stalked out of the room. It was going to be a long night...

 

 

*****

 

 

Adam woke up to the sound of someone screaming. Jerking upright, he gasped, the blades in his arms sliding out reflexively. Something fell to the ground with a thud.

“No! Please!”

It took him a moment to realize where he was and what was going on. He was sitting in a chair by a bedside. Not in his chair or at his home, but Pritchard's. The thud he heard was a book that fell from his lap when he jerked awake and the screams were coming from the bed beside him.

Some time ago he'd finally managed to reduce the other man's fever to more tolerable levels by cooling him with wet towels. It was enough to let him tuck him in and grab something to read. He wasn't sure how and when he fell asleep in the chair he'd pulled up, but that didn't matter right now.

“Jensen! Don't!” Pritchard cried out as he tossed around on the mattress, eyes shut tightly and sweat beading on his forehead. It wasn't just from the fever this time.

Adam retracted his wrist blades and knelt beside the bed, trying to grab hold of him: “It's alright, Francis... I'm right here.”

It was apparent that Pritchard couldn't hear him. He clawed at the sheets, a sound suspiciously similar to a sob tearing through his throat: “Please...”

Adam climbed onto bed, finally managing to grab hold of his wrists. Pritchard struggled with surprising ferocity given the heat emanating from his skin.

“Francis, whatever you are seeing right now, it's not real!” growled the Aug as he tried to pin him down.

“Jensen...” Pritchard droned on stubbornly, his voice breaking. His resistance faltered, his limbs falling back against the bed.

“I'm right here.” said Adam firmly as he held him down.

Now Pritchard started sobbing in earnest: “Please...don't die...”

Adam looked down at him, somewhat taken aback by that last set of words. So Pritchard's worst nightmare was watching him die? He quickly shook it off, not the time...

“I'm not dying, Francis.”

His words finally seemed to have the desired effect as Pritchard jerked awake, his hands reaching out to grasp at his back. For a second he just stared at him, wide-eyed and nearly breathless. Adam opened his mouth to say something more, but was interrupted by an animal-like whine and getting pulled into a very needy embrace. Pritchard wrapped around him like a snake choking its prey, his sobs now stifled by an augmented shoulder. Adam let out a startled huff, his brain trying to process what just happened. Even seeing Pritchard hallucinate wasn't as weird as seeing him cry and get clingy.

“Francis...” he tried, feeling more than a little awkward.

The only answer he got were more sobs.

He sighed, letting himself be smothered some more. It didn't look like Pritchard intended to let him go anytime soon.

“S-shit...” stammered the hacker after what seemed like eternity. “I... I'm sorry...” he added as his breathing became more leveled. He pulled his face back from Adam's shoulder, leaving some lingering wetness in his wake. Loosening his grip, he reached for the tissue box on the nightstand.

Adam pulled back from him carefully. “I get nightmares too.” he said with a light shrug.

Pritchard blew his nose and started wiping at his eyes. His face was still red and poofy, but his expression was much calmer.

“You answered my call... I knew you would.” he managed after a moment.

“Yeah, found you lying on the floor a few hours ago.” answered Adam simply.

Pritchard furrowed his brow: “I don't remember that.”

“Of course you don't, your brain was pretty much frying inside your skull at the time.” rumbled Adam quietly. “You were hallucinating.”

“That bad...”

It was an acknowledgment rather than a question. Adam nodded and remained silent, unsure of what to say next or if he should be saying anything at all.

“My head is killing me...actually, my entire body is killing me...” grumbled Pritchard as he reached out and placed the snotty tissue next to the box.

“Go back to sleep, Francis. You need it.” said Adam as he retreated back to his chair.

Pritchard looked back at him: “Will you stay?”

Adam raised an eyebrow: “Does it look like I'm leaving?”

 

 

*****

 

 

“I leave for half an hour...” grunted Adam as he tucked in some loose strands into the ball of hair in his hand.

Pritchard was kneeling in front of the toilet, his entire body shaking with ragged breaths. His hands were clawed into the seat, his head hanging about halfway inside the bowl. Would it not be for Adam kneeling behind him and keeping his hair out of the way, he'd have vomit and toilet water all over it.

“I was hungry...Jensen...” objected the hacker as he managed to catch his breath.

“Peanuts, Pritchard? Seriously?” deadpanned Adam. “You haven't eaten in what, 24 hours straight and the first thing you eat is a bunch of nuts? Didn't you want to order some McDonald's while you were at it?”

Pritchard lifted his head to glare at him and was just about to talk back to him when bile rose in his throat once more. He heaved into the toilet with some less-than-graceful noises, already contemplating various comebacks he could use once he was capable of speech again.

“Just make sure you get it all out. I'm not playing maid service and changing your sheets.” commented Adam dryly as he tightened the grip on the other man's hair.

“You're not...helping...” Pritchard managed to grit out just a second before he was overtaken by another puke attack.

“Nor is getting your stomach upset on top of everything that's already going on with you.” Adam retorted.

There was a prolonged and rather disgusting moment in which the only answer he got was more sickly noises and vomiting.

“Shouldn't you...be at work already?” asked Pritchard at length. Judging by the steadier tone in his voice and the way he propped up against the toilet seat, it seemed that he was finally done.

“It's Saturday.” answered Adam bluntly, his hand pulling back from the other man's hair. “Can't say this is how I imagined my day off.”

“Sorry to cut into your brooding time.” Pritchard bit back as he flushed after himself. “It's not like I'm holding you prisoner though, you can leave...if that's what you want.”

Adam shook his head: “Why me, Pritchard? Isn't there anyone else you could've called?”

A bitter, humorless laugh: “Like who?”

“Family. Friends.”

Pritchard scoffed: “Hardly. I haven't talked with my parents for years. Oh and did I mention that I have a brother who hates me?” He gave him a look. “As for my former associates, they're either dead or...well, knowing your knack for digging up dirt on people, I assume you know that I've been in prison before Sarif graciously came to my rescue with his employment contract. The rest of my friends weren't as forthcoming when it came to accepting his offer so you can probably guess that they're still locked up.” His gaze drifted sideways. “I pretty much let Sarif buy me and in their book, that's the lowest of the lows.”

“Right...” rumbled Adam, trying to process what the hacker just said. The sudden bluntness took him by surprise.

“On top of that you've got a rather severe case of a hero complex and it's been some time since we've gotten...sexually involved.” Pritchard continued. “Do you still think I could've called anyone else?”

“I guess not.” answered Adam after a moment's hesitation.

Pritchard got up, somewhat unsteady on his feet. It was apparent that he was in pain and judging by how flushed he was, probably burning with some serious fever.

“Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna wash out that...taste...from my mouth and go back to bed.” he said as he sauntered towards the sink.

Adam stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, mulling over everything the hacker told him. Somehow, the revelation that Francis Pritchard had absolutely no one besides him startled him more than it should have. Combined with the string of events from the past few months and topped off by the man's behavior from last night, it was obvious that his previous suspicions were true and much more so than he thought.

 

 

*****

 

Adam walked towards the coffee machine and punched in his order. He sure felt anything but relaxed after the weekend he'd just endured. It turned out that while Pritchard's default MO was being extremely obnoxious, being sick made him downright insufferable. Not only did he have to monitor him all the time, he also had to do his grocery shopping. And change his sheets after he'd been sweating into them for a few hours straight. And deny him the laptop he asked for after his fever dropped down a notch. He could probably list some more things if he bothered to remember but right now he wanted to do the exact opposite and just snap back into work mood, the sooner the better.

“Jensen.”

He rolled his eyes as he recognized the approaching voice. Mondays were bad enough, even without this...

“I believe I already gave you your orders for today, Wilder.” he said as he turned around to face the man calling out to him. “And it's _boss_ for you.” he added in a more threatening tone.

While the rest of his team respected and even admired him, Don Wilder seemed to despise him with equal passion. Pretty much the only thing keeping the asshole from being outright hostile to him was the fact that disrespecting him would lead to consequences. Still, he did go out of his way to show his sentiment whenever he got the chance and the day in which he would obey orders without trying to question them had yet to come...

“Oh I'm sorry, _sir._ “ retorted Wilder, the last word a sneer more than anything. “I thought we were allowed a drink or two while on duty.” he added as he gestured towards the coffee machine.

“Then why are you talking to me? I'm not the one who makes those.” answered Adam coldly.

“Just trying to make conversation.” Wilder pushed on. “I thought you might be in a better mood knowing that Pritchard's on sick leave...the sniveling piece of shit keeps getting on your nerves, right? Prickard's more like it if you ask me.”

“Yeah, the thing is I didn't.” Adam bit back as he snatched up his coffee and prepared to leave. After all the annoyances he had to put up with from this guy and a weekend spent playing nurse for the nagging snot-ridden Pritchard, he really wasn't in the mood.

Wilder didn't seem to take the hint as he continued, his voice turning into a drawl: “Aww, touchy are we? With you two being such big friends and all as of late.”

“You're walking on thin ice, Wilder.” Adam heard himself growl, his self-control hanging by a thread now.

“So it is true.” proclaimed the other man with disgust. “It shouldn't surprise me. Then again, he might shut up every once in a while now that there's a high probability of a dick in his mouth... Wouldn't you agree, _boss?_ ”

Adam's body moved out of its own accord as he whirled around, his fist flying up to nail Wilder square in the jaw. There was a nasty crack and a spittle of blood as the impact sent him flying backwards. He was out cold before he even hit the ground, his head – quite fittingly – knocking over a nearby trash can.

“No, I really wouldn't.” rumbled Adam as he glared down at him.

As if on cue, his infolink crackled to life: “Way to waste your coffee, Jensen. Still, that was quite a show you put on.”

“Why am I not surprised?” huffed Adam as he shook his head.

“Because you shouldn't be.” replied Pritchard snidely, it was obvious that he was feeling better.

“How long have you been spying on me, Francis?” asked Adam, his tone now somewhat resigned.

“Long enough to see your temper flare up.” said Pritchard. “Over that prick insulting me.” he added gleefully.

“Don't flatter yourself.” deadpanned Adam, throwing the hacker's own words back at him. “He's been pushing it for a very long time.”

“Be that as it may, calling me those names is what actually made you punch him in the end.” proclaimed Pritchard insistently. It was glaringly obvious that he wasn't going to let this go.

“Yeah, right.” grunted Adam as he picked up the plastic cup from his spilled coffee and propped up the trash can to throw it in. “Shouldn't you be in bed?”

“Don't try to change the-” Pritchard tried to object as he sneezed.

“Bed, Francis. Now.” growled Adam.

“But I'm bored.” Pritchard almost pleaded. “You've got no idea-”

“Shut down that damn laptop.” interrupted Adam vehemently.

The transmission went quiet. For a second, Adam foolishly thought that the hacker had finally listened to him for once and just did as he was told. Unsurprisingly, he was wrong.

“Your insistence just serves to prove me right. You really did hit him because of me.”

The smirk in Pritchard's voice was so audible that it almost made him gnash his teeth.

“Keep this up and I might hit _you._ ” Adam warned him as he started walking away.

“Does that mean you'll be coming back to my place after work?” prodded the hacker. His tone was only remotely sarcastic this time.

Adam let out a frustrated sigh. It was unbelievable...

“Will you head back to bed and leave me alone if I'll promise you that I will?” he heard himself ask.

“Now you're talking.” purred Pritchard, evidently pleased with himself. “Yes, I promise to turn this thing off and be a good little patient if you give me your word. But you'd better keep it.”

“I will, you know that.” grunted Adam. “But how can I be sure that you'll hold up your part of the deal?”

“You'll just have to trust me.” sniggered Pritchard.

“Great.” muttered Adam half-heartedly.

“Come on Jensen, have I ever lied to you?” countered Pritchard, his tone turning terse.

“No.” conceded Adam.

“Well then?” Pritchard insisted.

“You got yourself a deal.” said Adam as he stalked up the stairs to head back into his office.


	13. In the headlights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malik sees something she shouldn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I regret nothing! A short one, I know, but it was very fun to write, pretty much wrote itself.

Malik strolled down the corridor, carrying a steaming cup of coffee. She was heading over to the tech lab to fulfill her usual ritual of trying to bribe Pritchard into bonding with her. Well, as usual as 'heading there whenever she got a break' could be considered. It's been two days since the hacker's returned from his sick leave and about as many weeks since...she shook her head. It was ridiculous how people were still talking about it.

Apparently, there's been an incident during the first few days of the already mentioned sick leave. She wasn't at the HQ at the time because she had to fly Mr. Sarif to a meeting but from what she's heard, she gathered that Jensen attacked one of his men and broke his jaw, Wilder was his name. Supposedly, he lost his temper after Wilder said some unflattering things about Pritchard. Jensen was the most stoic person she knew so the remark had to be something absolutely disgusting to warrant a reaction like that.

Her train of thought got interrupted by a voice calling to her: “Hey, Faridah!”

She turned around to face her blue-eyed, redhead friend and colleague: “Hi, Jess.”

Grant gave her a sparkling smile: “You on a break? Want to grab a...oh, I see you already have your coffee.”

“It's not for me.” answered Malik. “I'm heading over to see Pritchard.”

“Oh. Are you two friends? How did you manage that? He's so...well...him.” wondered the readhead.

“He's not that bad once you get to know him.” Malik assured her.

“If you say so.” shrugged Grant. Her lips spread into a mischievous smile and Malik almost groaned as she recognized her 'gossip face'. “Have you heard? Jensen-”

“I know, Jess. Everyone keeps talking about it.” she stopped her.

“From what I hear, this Wilder guy is unpopular enough to give your friend Pritchard a run for his money.” Grant continued, stopping herself once she noticed the agonized look on the other woman's face. “Right, sorry... Well, if you don't want to grab that coffee I guess I'll talk to you later.” she said with a smile that was half genuine and half sheepish.

“We can grab lunch together if you'd like.” offered Malik.

“Sure thing, girl. See you later.” said the redhead, shooting her one last apologetic look before turning to leave.

“Later, Jess.” replied Malik as she continued down the corridor.

A few more steps and the tech lab popped up on her right. She furrowed her brow as she noticed that the blinds were down. Was Pritchard even in there? She shook her head at the foolishness of that thought. Pritchard was always there, no exceptions.

Opening the door, she stepped inside: “Hey Pritch- Oh my god!”

The cup almost fell from her grasp, her face burning crimson. Pritchard's computer display was moved to the far left of his desk and in its place, the hacker himself laid on his back, completely naked. Jensen was on top of him, also very much naked, his pelvis hanging suspiciously close to a certain area between the other man's legs. They were both frozen in position, giving her the unmistakable 'deer caught in the headlights' look, their mouths almost touching.

The first one to gather himself was Jensen: “Uh...hi Malik...”

“We can explain this...” Pritchard joined in. He glanced first at Malik and then at their clothes scattered all over the floor. “Actually, we can't...”

“Don't make it worse.” interjected Jensen, shooting him a pleading look.

“You don't get to whine, Jensen!” Pritchard snapped at him, his glare more intense than Malik's ever seen. “I _told you_ to lock the door!”

“And I told you that we should hide somewhere!” Jensen retorted, his voice all gravel and sandpaper.

“I can't fit inside a goddamned vent, Jensen!” objected Pritchard angrily, his face turning so red that it could easily rival Malik's.

“It's...wow...uh, it's ok...guys? I'll just...” stammered the pilot awkwardly.

“Keep it down, would you? I don't need the entire building knowing what we're doing here!” Jensen growled back at him. It was obvious that her presence was no longer the focus of the conversation.

“I'll just...leave this here...” Malik squeaked as she placed the cup of coffee on the cabinet by the door and quickly backed out of the room.

She could hear Pritchard's voice talking back to him, but the now closed door did a good job of drowning out the words. Malik sighed, the image of the two men on top of the desk now burned into her memory. She was definitely going to knock next time...


	14. Outlines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam visits Frank under more pleasant circumstances this time. (And he smiles..what sorcery is this?!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say 'ficlets' in the beginning? Well then this has to be the mother of all ficlets... Took an awful amount of time to write so hopefully it was worth the wait. Partially based on a true story. Whoever guesses which bits are that gets a virtual cookie :)

Adam pulled up on the by now familiar driveway and got out of his car, a small duffle bag in hand. He was late and mentally preparing himself for the rant that would follow. If there truly were any certainties in life one of them had to be that Pritchard wouldn't let him hear the end of this. It was understandable given the situation, but still annoying.

After getting caught mid-action in the hacker's office a few days ago, they've both agreed that it would be for the best if they excluded the Sarif HQ from their list of safe places for having sex and started being more subtle about it. They had to go somewhere private and that left them with limited options. Two options in Adam's opinion and one option in Pritchard's. The Aug shook his head as he remembered the so-called agreement word for word.

“ _What's wrong with my place?”_

“ _My god, Jensen, do you really have to ask? Your bed is too small, you've got nothing to eat but breakfast cereal and the whole place is filthy! Seriously, will you ever unpack those boxes? It's ridiculous!”_

“ _Hey, you don't get to judge.”_

“ _I do if you expect me to spend the night in there! And don't you dare bring up that first time when I was drunk! The only reason why I stayed back then is because I passed out.”_

“ _Fine... Point taken. Your place, after work.”_

He raised his hand to ring the bell. If someone told him that he'd end up being a regular visitor at Pritchard's house a few months ago he probably would've dismissed it as something absolutely ridiculous. Now, he wasn't so sure anymore. He wondered what and when broke down in him to make him bend over backwards for the other man like this, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He rubbed the back of his neck and was just about to ring the bell again when his infolink buzzed to life.

“I thought I heard the doorbell, Jensen, are you here?”

“Yeah, just arrived.” answered Adam shortly.

“ _Finally._ ” grumbled Pritchard. “I'm in the shower right now so you'll have to come in through the backyard. You know the code.” he added in a less grumpy tone.

“Still haven't changed it, Francis? I'm touched.” drawled Adam, knowing full well that it would aggravate the other man.

“Quit your prattle and get in here, Jensen!” demanded Pritchard irately. “I've waited long enough.”

Adam smirked to himself as he made his way through the fence. So predictable. It seemed that being in such close contact with the man had its perks as well. He got to know him well enough to take his teasing to unprecedented heights and that, he enjoyed. Strolling through the backyard, he stopped at the door and was just about to punch in the code when he heard some rustling behind him. He set his bag down on the porch and turned around, the servos in his arms whirring as he prepared to deploy his blades should they be required.

A pair of bright yellow eyes stared back at him from a shadow in the grass. It took him a second to realize that the shadow was actually black fur. The cat meowed, revealing a set of sharp white teeth, its ears and tail pointed straight up. Adam relaxed, wondering when did Pritchard get a cat and if it even was his cat to begin with. The feline seemed to be in a friendly mood as it headed towards him and meowed again.

“Shoo.” Adam tried, waving his hands at it.

The cat didn't seem to be bothered by the gesture as it sat down in front of him, tilting its head inquisitively. It was as if it were trying to say: _You're new...who are you?_

“Shoo.” Adam insisted, waving at it once more.

Again, his demands were ignored. The cat simply stared back at him with the same curious look, answering him with another meow.

Adam sighed, turning his attention back to the keypad at the door. He really wanted to make it inside before Pritchard finished his shower because if he didn't, it would be another thing the hacker wouldn't let him hear the end of. There was a chirpy noise and a quiet clicking sound as the panel glowed green and unlocked the door for him. Adam picked up his bag and opened the door. That seemed to have grabbed the cat's attention as it meowed cheerfully and pranced inside. So it was Pritchard's cat. Hopefully...

“Uh, Francis, you've got a cat?” Adam called into the house, hoping that the hacker would hear him through the running water.

“No, why?” answered his infolink.

“Well, I unlocked the door and there's this black cat that-”

“Wait.” Pritchard cut him off. “Does she have a bushy tail and a white spot on her chest?”

Adam looked down at the cat that was now sniffing his bag in the corner. The tail did seem somewhat thicker than what's normal and now that he took a closer look, he did notice a small white speck on its chest.

“Yeah.” he answered at length.

“She's not mine, but I do feed her when she shows up.” said Pritchard. “There's a cupboard by the door, both her food and bowl are in there. Could you feed her while I finish here?”

“I don't know, I'm more of a dog person.” objected Adam as he watched the cat turn back towards him.

“Obviously...” came the sarcastic reply. “I can see why. I mean, they're quite easy to train, they obey orders without question and eat crap all the time...they're basically the animal version of you.”

“Huh.” scoffed Adam, the right side of his mouth twitching up into an amused half-grin. “Yeah and cats scratch, bite and are mean even to their owners half the time...sounds a lot like the animal version of you.”

“If you think that it's obvious you never had one.” countered Pritchard stubbornly.

“According to what you said just a few seconds ago neither do you.” prodded Adam casually.

“Just give her the food, Jensen. She's not going to scratch your face off.” Pritchard snubbed him as he cut the transmission.

Adam looked down at the cat by his feet. She looked harmless enough, even somewhat cute. He turned to the cupboard on the left. It was pretty much the only piece of furniture in the small anteroom so it had to be the one Pritchard was talking about. Getting down on one knee, he opened its doors. The cat meowed at him, the tip of her raised tail quivering in his direction. Definitely the right one. He rummaged through its contents for a bit and fished out a sack of cat food along with a small bowl. The cat opened her snout wide, letting out an ear-splittingly loud meow.

“Yeah, yeah, I'll feed you.” grumbled Adam unamusedly as he got up.

The loud meowing continued as he poured the pellets into the bowl, the cat now rubbing against his shins eagerly.

“There you go.” he said as he placed the bowl on the ground.

The cat rubbed against his legs one last time before digging in, purring happily.

Adam shrugged off his coat and continued further inside. As he walked past the bathroom he could still hear running water. Pritchard sure liked his showers long... Mentally shrugging, he headed towards the living room, hoping to occupy himself with something until the hacker was done impersonating a goldfish.

Luckily, he didn't have to think too hard as he noticed Pritchard's gaming console plugged into the TV the moment he stepped into the room. It's been quite some time since he's touched one of those and he was never a huge fan of games in general, but it wasn't like he had anything better to do at the moment. Switching on the TV, he sat down in front of it and grabbed the controller, his grip upon it rather awkward. How could anyone hit those buttons comfortably was beyond him, the way the whole thing was designed felt very counter-intuitive. Damn it all to hell, if kids could handle this then so could he!

He turned his attention towards the TV and navigated the menu, looking for something that could be fun to play.

It seemed that Pritchard was an avid collector as he scrolled through game after game, supposedly unable to reach the end of the list. Judging by the thumbnails and titles, it looked like he had a preference for shooters and RPGs with some occasional fighting and racing games thrown into the mix. Now which one of them had violent tendencies and a hero complex again?

“Since when do you play video games, Jensen?” asked Pritchard from the doorway.

Adam almost jumped out of his skin at that. He was so focused on his browsing that he never heard him coming.

“I don't.” he answered as he set the controller aside and got up to face him. “Just thought I might take a look while you're busy trying to grow gills back there.”

“Very funny.” deadpanned Pritchard as he headed towards him, a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair rested upon his shoulders in tangled wet strands. It was probably the reason why he took his time in the shower.

“Good to see you wash that every once in a while.” prodded Adam the moment he noticed. He just couldn't help himself.

“I figured I might, seeing as it took you ages to get here.” grumbled Pritchard as he stopped in front of him with his arms crossed.

Adam almost sighed out loud. There it was, the dreaded sermon he didn't want to hear...

“Francis-”

Pritchard raised his hand to silence him. “I don't want to hear it. You have no excuse, no reason.”

Adam rolled his eyes at him. He had to think of a way to make him shut up. Quickly. It felt tempting to just turn back to the TV and start up the last game he was viewing, no matter...wait. The games... Adam's lips twitched upwards.

“Yeah, I've wasted an awful amount of your precious time by coming late.” he proclaimed, refusing to give Pritchard more room to talk. “Time better spent playing those games of yours, right?” His expression turned provocative. “I bet I could beat you in any of those without breaking a sweat.”

“Is that a challenge?” scoffed the hacker dismissively. “You can't even hold that controller, let alone beat me in an actual game.”

“Prove it then, let's play something. Or are you scared that you might lose?” Adam taunted him, refusing to back down.

“Don't be ridiculous, Jensen! There's no way in hell you can win against me.” objected Pritchard irately.

“If that's the case why don't you go ahead and show me?” Adam pushed on. He had him exactly where he wanted, all it would take now was a few more jabs at the other man's ego. “Come on, Pritchard. If you're so sure about yourself where's the harm?”

“Don't think I don't know what's going on here.” grunted Pritchard. “You're just trying to make me forget-”

“So you are scared.” smirked Adam.

“I told you, you don't stand a chance.” Pritchard almost laughed.

“Words aren't gonna cut it, Francis.” purred Adam mockingly. “Prove it.”

Pritchard pushed past him to grab the controller and filtered out the game list so that it would show just fighting games.

“Fine. If you insist on making a fool out of yourself then be my guest. Pick one of those while I go get the second controller.” he said as he shoved the first one in his hands and stormed out of the room.

Adam plopped down in front of the TV and started scrolling through the selection. Pretty much anything was better than listening to Pritchard's complaints and honestly, how hard could those games be? It shouldn't be that difficult to win if he at least knew how to button-mash, right? His finger paused as he stumbled upon a title that rang a bell with him. _Mortal Kombat_ the screen read. He was sure he's heard of that one, no matter how little attention he paid to the gaming industry.

A rather dark menu with ominous music in the background greeted him as he started it up. Scrolling through the words displayed in the middle, he settled on _options_ hoping to find the controls there. Even button-mashing would be useless if he didn't know which buttons to mash. There was a clicking sound as the game opened up a sub-menu for him. One more click and he found what he was looking for. The list was a little longer than he'd anticipated...

“Mortal Kombat? Are you sure, Jensen?” Pritchard spoke up from behind him, the amusement in his tone downright sickening. “I'll have you know that I'm very good at that one.” he added as he plugged in his controller and sat down next to him.

“You claim to be good at everything, Francis.” came the flat, unimpressed reply.

“Ready when you are.” Pritchard bit back with a sneer.

Adam gave the controls one last glance before switching back to the main menu.

“Lead the way.” he said in a mockingly dramatic tone.

Pritchard gave him an exasperated look and selected a single two-player match. A character selection screen popped up, displaying a variety of fighters to choose from. The hacker locked one instantly, probably going for his favorite. Not wanting to drag this out any longer than necessary, Adam moved the cursor a little and selected the first character that looked at least remotely alright. The designs were mostly stereotypical and uninteresting as far as he was concerned. Next up was the map selection. Pritchard picked one before Adam even had the chance to register them all and the game started. First up was a short cutscene. Their chosen characters exchanged a few cheesy lines about how they're going to kick each other's ass. Adam was regretting this more and more by the minute, but he'd sooner drop dead than admit it. The talk was over as quickly as it started and the game granted him control of his character right after announcing the start of round one.

Before he even had a chance to press anything, Pritchard's character came charging at him in a flurry of blows. He'd barely managed to block one and try one or two jabs of his own when the rest of them connected, smashing his health down to about two thirds. Ok, maybe this really wasn't going to be so easy... He adjusted the controller in his hands, trying to concentrate. Pritchard however refused to give him any breathing room as his character danced around him, landing blow after blow until his health bar dropped down to almost nothing. Adam tried, he really tried, but his button-mashing seemed to have little to no effect as his character just moved in ridiculous patterns, punching and kicking the air. Pritchard sneered as he dove in for the finishing move, sending his opponent plummeting to the ground. The game announced his victory on the screen only to have Adam's guy get up for round two.

A few more blows and he was down to two thirds of his health again. Adam growled, retaliating with a few blows of his own. This time, he actually managed to eat away some of his opponent's health. At least he scratched him... Pritchard switched tactics and charged at him from above. Adam blocked and dodged the best he could, but still ended up being cut down to half health. It just wasn't fair. The hacker had excellent muscle memory in those fingers of his and only god knew how many hours he spent playing this thing...

A few more seconds of desperate button-mashing and Adam managed to eat away a small bit of his health again, only to lose the majority of what was left of his own. Pritchard sneered as he went for the finishing move again. He did so with much glee and little remorse, causing the game to display a big red _FINISH HIM_ across the screen. Adam watched as his character stood there, swaying on his feet helplessly before dying a gruesome and very graphic death at the hands of his opponent.

 _FATALITY._ announced the game solemnly.

“No need to feel bad, Jensen. I used to be quite a name on the leaderboards at one point.” boasted Pritchard as he set his controller aside.

“Really? If you're such an impressive player then how come I managed to land all those hits on you?” grunted Adam in response.

This time it was Pritchard's turn to sound unimpressed: “Sore loser much? It's been a while, I'm out of practice. That and I was holding back to give you a fighting chance.”

“Right.” huffed Adam as he put his controller aside as well. He really was taking this to heart a little more than he should have. Then again... His lips quirked upwards, a delicious scheme forming in his mind. He wasn't about to let Pritchard walk out of here without beating him at least once. If he had to use certain alternative measures then so be it, everything was fine as long as he was the one winning.

“I want a rematch.” he proclaimed just as the hacker started getting up from his sitting position.

“Over it already or are you just feeling masochistic now?” asked Pritchard with a raised eyebrow.

“Neither. Just want to try again.” answered Adam simply.

Pritchard didn't seem to buy it as he gave him a suspicious look before sitting back down and grabbing the controller: “Alright.”

They went through the same motions as before up until the point in which the fight started. Pritchard's character charged across the screen much like the first time and landed a few good hits on his opponent. Adam took the beating with a smirk, wanting to give the other man a false sense of security. He was waiting for him to beat him down to half health. It happened sooner rather than later and Adam's smirk turned into a shit-eating grin. Time slowed down for him as a warm tingle spread through his spine, activating his reflex booster. His fingers turned into a blurry mess over the controller, his button mashing turning into hell unleashed. The movements of his character were still terribly uncoordinated, but given the speed at which they were executed it didn't really matter – his opponent was down to two thirds of his health.

“What the...” Pritchard muttered with disbelief. He tried to fight back only to have Adam back away from him. After a moment of jumping back and forth across the screen and pretty much just chasing him it happened again. One third of his health remained while Adam received just one hit from him. He turned his head towards the offending Aug and scoffed, the realization hitting him the moment he noticed that wide grin of his: “Seriously, Jensen? Button-mashing me to death with your reflex booster?”

“Winning's more like it.” countered Adam, his expression never faltering.

“But you're cheating!” objected Pritchard as his character was beaten to a bloody pulp, his health just a hair above running out.

“Winning.” retorted Adam as he went for the finishing move, his character standing victorious. The first round was his.

Pritchard glared at him, landing in a few good blows.

“Too bad that reflex booster of yours only works for a short period of time.” he mocked him.

“Doesn't take that long to recharge.” retorted Adam as hell unleashed 2.0 rained down on his opponent.

Pritchard growled. If Jensen intended to cheat then so did he! Scooting closer to the man, he lowered one of his hands from the controller.

“What are you doing, Francis?” asked Adam the moment he felt its touch on his inner thigh.

“Trying to win. Much like you are.” said the hacker with a small smirk as he cupped the other man's crotch through the fabric of his pants, all while trying to move his character around with one hand. It was difficult if not downright impossible, but it seemed to be working as Adam's focus faltered a little.

“You're despicable.” complained the Aug as he made a valiant effort to hold onto the controller and ignore him.

“I know.” drawled Pritchard as he gave him a light squeeze and nibbled at the side of his neck, the motions of his hand on the controller becoming rather lazy. If he couldn't win the game he could at least make sure that Jensen wouldn't finish it. That way his win wouldn't count...and it would serve him right for being a cheating bastard.

“Mmm.” moaned Adam as the hand started rubbing at him, the mouth on his neck now kissing him. He hated himself for letting up this easily, but since Pritchard knew all his sweet spots by now and his own hands were busy with the controller, he was pretty much helpless. He could do nothing but take it and try to maintain enough coherence and control to finally win that stupid game...

Pritchard let out a snort, apparently amused by his pigheadedness. He ditched his controller completely and gave him his full attention, his teeth sinking into his neck. Adam couldn't help but groan with frustration as the teasing between his legs intensified, the hacker's free hand now trying to snatch the controller away from him.

“You-” he tried to object only to be abruptly silenced as Pritchard's incessant biting and kissing moved up to his mouth. He tried to jerk his head sideways only for a hand to stop it. It was as if Pritchard was reading his mind. He sighed, his grip upon the controller loosening. Given his current position he was unable to see the screen anyway. He bit down on the other man's lower lip in one last act of defiance before letting himself get straddled and pushed down into lying position.

“No cheating.” Pritchard smirked as he pulled away, his hair leaving damp trails everywhere.

“You mean _you're_ cheating.” objected Adam, the right side of his mouth quirking upwards.

“Said the pot to the kettle.” Pritchard shot back before kissing him once more, his tongue prodding for access.

Adam allowed it, his hands now trailing along the pale flesh of the hacker's back.

Pritchard slid down a little and proceeded to work open his partner's pants. He did so with practiced, almost mechanical movements which made Adam wonder just how much of the affection displayed was genuine and how much of it was there to distract him and prove the other man's previous point. As if to answer his question, the hacker pulled back from the kiss and swallowed his cock the moment it slid out. Adam let out a quiet groan as the mouth started moving, teasing and tempting him until he grew completely hard. Riled up as he was, he couldn't keep still anymore. In one fluid motion, he pulled Pritchard's head aside and sat up, ready to yank him to his feet and spread him over the table.

Pritchard didn't seem to be in the mood for that however as he pushed at him to stay back: “Not like that, Jensen.” He grasped at Adam's shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing it aside nonchalantly. The Aug had little to no complaints about that.

“Bedroom?” he suggested eagerly.

“What do you think?” answered Pritchard, his eyes dark and his towel now forming an obvious tent. Even more obvious as he stood up. Adam was quick to follow him, pulling him into another kiss. Pritchard stumbled around as he tried to kiss back, pull down the Aug's pants and find the bedroom all at the same time. In answer, Adam yanked at the towel and gave it the same nonchalant treatment his shirt received. Pritchard finally found the doorway he was looking for and pulled back from him, ready to jump straight into bed. As he turned around and took a step inside, he stopped dead in his tracks.

“Princess!” he exclaimed. “You're not supposed to be here, you know that!” he grunted as he headed further into the room.

Adam peered over him and couldn't help but snort. He completely forgot about Pritchard's on and off cat from earlier. She was right there, rolling around on her back all over the covers, purring and reaching out with her paws.

“That her name? Princess?” he prodded as he watched Pritchard march towards her.

“Yes, I call her Princess. So what? It fits because she's beautiful, just like an actual princess.” the hacker bit back as he pulled her up into his arms. The cat seemed to be very happy about that as she writhed in his grasp, rubbing her face against his jaw. She didn't stop purring for a second. Pritchard let out a frustrated huff and started petting her head as he walked towards the doorway. It was painfully obvious that he couldn't bring himself to be mad at her.

“Are you sure she's not yours?” asked Adam with a half-smirk and a raised eyebrow.

“Positive. Not that I haven't tried keeping her.” replied Pritchard, his hand now moving downwards to scratch her chin. “Thing is, she always wants to go back and forth between being in here and outside. That and she keeps stealing my trash. Think of how much mess that makes! If she stayed she'd need a litterbox too, more mess. And don't even get me started on that one time I tried cooking chicken while she was in the house. She's insufferable around meat.”

“Right.” answered Adam as he watched him head into the corridor. It was interesting to see this side of Pritchard, interesting to find out he even had it. He didn't really strike Adam as the type to love or even care about animals, but the way he kept stroking that cat and the loud purring that came in return spoke for themselves. Princess was obviously dear to the other man, kind of like Kubrick was once dear to him... Adam shook his head, nipping that train of thought in the bud. It's been months, maybe even a year already and despite the affection displayed towards Princess, he doubted that Pritchard would be in the mood to talk about...the man didn't even like dogs. Ridiculous.

“Jensen, I'm talking to you.”

Adam blinked, finally registering the hand at his shoulder.

“What's with you? Did those chips in your brain finally get it to fry?” prodded Pritchard snidely as he pushed him back into the room.

“I'm fine.” answered Adam at length, letting the hacker shove him onto the bed. “I was just...thinking.”

“Brooding.” countered Pritchard as he pushed at him to lie down. Adam didn't resist and said nothing to that. He watched as the hacker stripped him of both his pants and boxers at once, a pair of grey eyes fixing him in place. Pritchard could be very dominant when he set his mind to it.

“Hold still.” he said as he climbed onto bed and took him in his mouth again. Adam propped up on his elbows and was about to say something, but upon noticing the other man's icy glare, he kept quiet.

Pritchard licked him up and down until he was hard again, leaving a coat of saliva across his entire length. Adam groaned as his cock was released, his previous musings all forgotten. Pritchard pushed him down onto the mattress with a smirk.

“It's amusing how you turn into a craving little animal the moment I touch you.” he drawled, rubbing his crotch against Adam's. His dick was hard too.

“Mmh...” Adam breathed out as the hacker started nibbling at his neck again. He wanted to talk back to him and have the last word but Pritchard wasn't having any of that as he sat down on him and clamped his hand over his mouth.

“I don't want to hear another word from you.” he said, his tone firm.

Adam gave him a mischievous look before tilting his head to the side and biting one of his fingers. Gently enough not to hurt him but hard enough to make him feel it. His hands reached up to touch the other man only to be swatted away.

“I said hold still, Jensen.”

Adam opened his hands in a gesture of surrender and awarded Pritchard with one of his rare smiles to let him know that he would play along.

The hacker seemed to be pleased as he leaned closer to him, smiling back: “You're really handsome when you smile.”

Adam wanted to answer but all he managed was a groan as he felt one of Pritchard's hands stroke his cock and his lips got trapped in another kiss. He clutched the sheets. Keeping his hands to himself was going to be difficult.

Pritchard's tongue ravished his mouth, stifling the slew of moans and gasps that slipped out of him as the hand around his cock quickened the pace. Much like earlier in front of the TV, the hacker managed to hit all his sweet spots. He was a needy, moaning mess in his hands, embarrassed by how easily he lost control and craving more at the same time. Pritchard broke off the kiss, diving in to swallow his cock, his hand still pumping. Adam closed his eyes and groaned, his hands curling into fists.

“Francis...” he wheezed.

If the hacker kept this up he would cum soon. He wanted to give him a fair warning before spilling though, wanted to give him some attention before... His breath hitched in his throat as the mouth pulled back and was replaced by a tight asshole. He could hear Pritchard moaning above him as he lowered himself down. Adam moaned too as he felt the tip of his cock slide inside, the warm wetness closing in on him causing him to lose it completely. His brain was no longer capable of forming words, let alone entire sentences.

Pritchard started moving, impaling himself more and more with every bounce. Adam grasped his ass and started thrusting into him, trying to match their movements. He looked up at his flushed partner as he rode him into oblivion, stroking his own craving cock. The sight was downright exhilarating.

“You close?” inquired Pritchard breathlessly, a bit of sweat beading on his forehead.

The only answer he got was a set of guttural sounds that could mean pretty much anything. Adam stared at him with the demeanor of a man possessed, his ramming becoming more intense.

_What do you think, Francis?_

Pritchard threw his head back with a howl, the sudden increase in power pushing him over the edge. Adam wasn't too far behind as he spilled into him with a sound that was some strange cross between a grunt and a growl. Pritchard pulled himself loose and collapsed on top of him, smearing the white mess all over. Adam wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close. They shared a rough kiss.

“I've been wanting to do this since you showed up at the door.” Pritchard confessed as he pulled back from the twisting tongue and gnashing teeth.

Adam let out a bark of a laugh: “I bet you did.”


	15. Piece of mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank talks some sense into Adam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I know I'm getting sappy here...but I can't help myself. I ship them a little too hard for that. More on the short side again because with my teen years over, I'm not that great at writing angst anymore.

Pritchard rolled over in his sleep, groaning softly. When his hand brushed against the sheets instead of bumping into the familiar carbon-fiber texture of Jensen's arm he instantly jerked awake. The sight of an abandoned pillow and crumpled covers greeted him. So much for his attempts at hospitality. He was nice enough to provide the other man with his own pillow and covers this time but instead of sleeping in them like any normal person would...

Pritchard sighed, sitting up. Given what little he could make out of the room it seemed like Jensen wasn't in it. He glanced at the alarm clock. 3AM? Pritchard shook his head. He wasn't really surprised, just disappointed. How typical of the jerk to wait for him to fall asleep and then make for a dramatic disappearance... Did he though? Pritchard scanned the room once more, his eyes now somewhat more adjusted to the surrounding darkness. Jensen's bag was still tossed in the corner where he first put it. Would he leave without his things? Pritchard gritted his teeth. He hated how slow his brain was for the first few minutes upon waking up. Swinging his feet over the edge of the bed, he headed towards the door. If there was one thing Jensen wouldn't leave without it was his coat. Pritchard was only going to assume that the Aug bailed on him once he made sure that it was gone.

Opening the door, he padded along the corridor until he reached the small anteroom heading out into the backyard. He noticed the heavy leather coat draped over the hanger the moment he stepped in. Letting out a mental sigh of relief, he ran a hand through his hair. Jensen was still here, the question remained... Pritchard shivered. Why was it so cold in here? He scanned the room once more, scolding himself for not noticing it sooner. The door was slightly ajar, letting in a thin strip of moonlight. It was obvious where to start looking now.

He noticed him the moment he opened the door further. Jensen was sitting on the porch with his legs crossed, some very loud purring coming out of his lap. It was nice that Princess was keeping him company, but Pritchard didn't need a social enhancer to know that something was wrong. The Aug's shoulders were completely hunched, his head bowed... Pretty much the only thing remotely relaxed about his posture was his right hand moving up and down as he petted the cat.

“Hey.” hummed Pritchard quietly as he approached him, putting a gentle hand on one of the shoulders. He didn't want to startle or unnerve him further. “Are you alright?”

“I'm fine.” came the gravelly answer. “Just needed some air.”

Pritchard almost sighed at that. Of course he'd tell him that he's fine while he clearly wasn't. This was Adam “The big damn hero” Jensen he was dealing with, always in service of others yet at the same time a loner to the bone, distant and difficult. Probably one of the worst men he's ever met in that regard.

“She really likes you, you know.” said Pritchard as he sat down next to him. “If she does that.” He made a vague gesture towards Princess which was now rolling from side to side on her back and pawing at the other man's exposed stomach.

Adam said nothing to that and just moved his hand to stroke her chest. For a moment it looked like he was going to ignore him, the motions of his hand rather absent-minded and his gaze focused somewhere ahead. Just when Pritchard started wondering whether he should start prying or go back to sleep, his eyes drifted downwards and he finally spoke up: “She kind of reminds me of Kubrick you know... The way she looks at me...”

“You still miss him.” said Pritchard at length, somewhat taken aback by the sudden change in demeanor. He wasn't talking to chronic tough guy Jensen now, he was talking to a broken man who lost almost everything he held dear.

“Sometimes, yeah. Still get dreams about him every once in a while. You know, from before I...became this.” answered Adam, the last two words a scoff more than anything. There was a glint of genuine sadness reflected in his eyes and Pritchard couldn't help but wonder when was the last time he's seen him this expressive if ever.

“You're not a thing, Adam.”

He used his first name deliberately, to grab his attention and make him feel comfortable. It seemed to have worked as the Aug finally looked at him.

“I've got a bunch of built-in weapons that say otherwise.”

There was an edge of resentment to his voice, even borderline self-loathing.

“You're still a man. No matter what you might be thinking, you're human.” said Pritchard adamantly. “Too human for your own good it seems.” he added in a softer tone.

“Funny you should be the one to say that.” rumbled Adam quietly.

Pritchard's lips twitched upwards: “It's ironic, isn't it? That out of all the people I could fall in love with it just had to be an idiot like you.”

“That's another one of my problems that just won't go away.” answered Adam sullenly. “Francis, I... I don't know if I'm ready for that. After Megan...” he trailed off, evidently struggling with his words. “I don't think I can-”

“You're not sure if you could ever love anyone again.” interrupted Pritchard. “And it gets worse after every break-up.”

Adam stared back at him, befuddled.

Pritchard gave him a weak smile: “Despite what you might think of me, I'm not really gay. Being honest, I prefer women, but they tend not to like me very much. So yeah, I have more ex-girlfriends than meets the eye.” He shrugged. “I guess I just gave up at some point. Getting a hook up who's a guy was much easier and I grew not to care eventually. Sex was sex either way... It's different with you though. You're the first man that I have actual feelings for because you're...well, you. Judging by that monologue you started and the recent change in your behavior I think that I'm not just a fuck buddy for you either.”

Adam shook his head: “It's ridiculous. I don't even like guys.”

“But you do like this.” said Pritchard with a mischievous spark in his eyes as he leaned in and kissed him. The sharp intake of breath and immediate response of the other man's lips pretty much spoke for themselves. Satisfied, he tried to pull back only for a pair of augmented arms to yank him closer.

“Yeah...very much.” grunted Adam in between the kisses.

“That means...you like me...and that's all that matters.” responded Pritchard, also trying to somehow kiss and talk at the same time.

“This is such a bad idea, Francis.” proclaimed Adam as he broke it off.

“Why, because your inferiority complex says that I can do better?” countered Pritchard. He climbed into his lap, feeling a brush of fur against his leg as Princess slithered away to make room for him. “I don't want better, I want you. Deal with it. And speaking of what I want, how about you stop being an idiot and head back to bed with me?” He gave him a stern look. “Seriously Jensen, just quit pitying yourself because I swear to god if you keep up this brooding routine of yours I'm gonna shut you down, optics included and do unspeakable things to you.” Upon noticing the other man's slightly provocative expression, he added: “Not necessarily in a sexual way.”

“You wouldn't.” said Adam in a mock-offended tone.

“Want to try me?” Pritchard dared him with a raised eyebrow.

“I guess you really do love me.” said Adam with a half-smile.

“Unfortunately.” grumbled Pritchard. “Now move it before I change my mind.”


	16. A matter of trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh how the tables have turned since their first encounter... Pritchard finally gets what he wants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, what can I say? We all know that was bound to happen eventually...

“I'm not sure if this is such a good idea, Francis.” said Adam as he entered the room.

“Have you done everything like I told you to?” countered Pritchard as he got up from bed and headed towards him in all his naked glory.

“Yeah.” came the short answer.

“Then you've got nothing to worry about.” Pritchard assured him as he tugged on the towel around the other man's waist and threw it aside. “I've done this before, you'll be fine.” Having that said, he grabbed hold of one of the augmented arms and pulled at it insistently.

Adam sighed: “You're not letting me get out of this, right?”

“Me? This wasn't my idea, remember?” answered Pritchard with a wolfish grin. “I know a blatant invitation when I hear one.” he added as he leaned in to kiss him.

“I was joking, Francis.” Adam tried again as he started wiggling away.

“No, you obviously weren't. Now quit ruining the mood, Jensen.” grumbled Pritchard as he pushed him against the wall and crashed their mouths together, biting down on the Aug's lower lip in the process.

Adam sighed into it and kissed back, knowing full well that he wasn't leaving this room until...how did such a thing even occur to him? Apparently, Pritchard was right when a few days ago, he claimed that Adam wasn't as straight as he thought himself to be. The hacker didn't say it directly, but Adam wasn't stupid, he knew how to read between the lines. To make matters worse, he managed to blurt out something he regretted later, something that got him into this mess...

 

* * *

 

_They were lying on the couch in the morning, right after waking up and eating some leftovers from the fridge for breakfast. Not exactly the healthiest thing to start one's day with, but they both felt quite lazy after that night. They fucked three times if Adam's calculations were correct and despite the obvious lack of sleep, he was very relaxed. Apparently, so was Pritchard because he hasn't moved from his side ever since he's made coffee for both of them. Without Adam having to ask. He was unusually close to him too, pretty much the only thing missing was having his arms wrapped around him, then they would be outright snuggling. Such closeness has always been reserved for bed so far._

“ _Something on your mind?” the hacker asked upon noticing the thoughtful look on his face._

“ _Just wondering where you buy your lube.” answered Adam simply. “And if people give you weird looks upon noticing the quantity you take. With how much you have, you could open up your own store.”_

“ _You're such a dork.” grinned Pritchard._

“ _Takes one to know one.” shrugged Adam, the right side of his mouth twitching upwards._

“ _I like to be prepared. You never know when you might need some.” said Pritchard with a suggestive arch of eyebrows._

“ _You mean in case we_ both _want to get fucked in the ass?” asked Adam with a snort._

“ _Oh, I had no idea that was what you wanted.” purred Pritchard as he traced his hands along the other man's exposed chest. “Thought you'd never let me anywhere near that firm little ass of yours.”_

_He put emphasis on his last few words by trailing downwards and giving the said rear a squeeze._

“ _I...uh...” Adam trailed off, suddenly trying to avoid eye contact._

“ _Don't worry, I can show you how it's done.” offered Pritchard eagerly, his hands never stopping their invasion._

_A hint of red flared up Adam's cheeks. He wasn't sure what startled him more, the fact that Pritchard immediately rose to the bait and started groping him or the fact that he himself even mentioned such a thing. One way or another, he had Pritchard's hands on his ass because of something he said, something he probably should've kept to himself... Where did that remark even come from?_

“ _I've never seen you blush before.” commented Pritchard casually as one of his hands found its way inside his lover's sweatpants. “I think I like it.” he added with a mischievous grin._

“ _It was just a joke, Francis.” Adam tried to object, reaching up to rub the back of his neck as one set of long fingers wrapped around his cock while the other one kept playing with his butt cheek._

“ _Sure, that's why you're all fidgety and refusing to look at me.” chuckled Pritchard._

 

* * *

 

Adam got snapped back into reality by a ravenous tongue shoving its way inside his mouth. He groaned as Pritchard started rubbing at his crotch and couldn't help but pull him closer. He just wanted to feel him all over himself, to maintain the closeness he got so accustomed to. It was like a drug, the kind of thing he didn't think he wanted until he got a taste of it.

Pritchard used his other hand to fist Adam's hair and started dragging him towards the bed, apparently feeling the same way about all this. Within the next few seconds, their mouths parted and Adam found himself lying on his back in the middle of the mattress. Pritchard crawled on top of him, his eyes now completely dark. He wrapped his fingers around his cock and started teasing him in earnest. Adam let out a small, pleased sound at that. It felt quite surreal to be doing this with someone he thought he despised not such a long time ago, someone he thought despised him right back.

“Spread your legs, Adam.” he heard from above.

It was still somewhat new to hear his first name rather than an insult or a snide _'Jensen'_. Reluctantly, he did as he was told.

Another kiss, even more needy than the first one. Adam arched his back, his cock throbbing with arousal. A little more and his head was bound to start spinning. He heard the sound of a lubricant being squeezed out of a bottle and flinched as he felt two fingers trace along the tight ring of muscle behind his balls. They slid in with less effort than he thought they would, probing inside until they were in knuckles-deep. Pritchard pulled back from the kiss, looking down at him.

“You're all hot and bothered already...you're going to love this.” he grinned as he started moving his fingers, his other hand never stopping its teasing.

Adam moaned as his body tensed up. This wasn't bad at all, with how intently Pritchard was stroking him, he almost forgot that he had fingers in his ass. Almost. He inhaled sharply as they scissored back and forth, stretching and preparing him. It seemed like he wasn't lying when he said that he'd done this before. A few more movements and a third finger was added, then the fourth. Adam reached up to grab Pritchard's shoulder and adjusted the angle, trying to accommodate them better. The hacker let out an approving hum at that.

“So eager for me.” he teased him as he gripped him tighter.

“I'm not the...hnn...only one...” Adam shot back with some difficulty. The probing fingers combined with the incessant teasing around his cock were doing a pretty good job of making him lose coherence already, if Pritchard was going to pull them out and actually fuck him his head might just explode.

“I've been wanting to do this since day one, you know that.” said Pritchard, leaning closer to him. “To see you writhe under me and fuck you senseless, pound you into the mattress until the only thing you can say is my name...” he proclaimed as he pulled the teasing fingers out and moved his hand to grab the Aug's throat. “I wanted you to be mine.”

Adam licked his lips, the grip upon the other man's shoulder loosening: “How do you want me, Francis?”

“Just how you are.” came the simple answer. “You look great on your back.” Pritchard added as he pulled back from him to oil up his cock. It was harder than Adam's ever seen it. Once its entire length was literally dripping lube, he positioned himself above him and shoved it halfway inside right away.

All of Adam's protests were stifled by a wet, sloppy kiss. He bucked up against Pritchard, his fingers digging into the hacker's hips as if to pry him off somehow. A subdued growl rumbled in the back of his throat as a hand moved between them and started giving his cock some attention. Adam tilted his head to the side and opened his mouth, granting access to the probing tongue pushing at his teeth. When Pritchard rolled his hips and thrust into him again, Adam's grip upon him tightened. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to pull him closer or yank him away because on one hand, he had to endure the throbbing pain of a dick being shoved up his ass but on the other hand, there was still that teasing hand and mouth which made it all somewhat worth it.

Just as that thought occurred to him, Pritchard pulled back from the kiss with a grimace: “Ease that death grip, Jensen, would you? You're hurting me and I've got trouble moving.”

“Sorry.” rumbled Adam immediately.

As he pulled his hands back, he noticed a pair of fresh bruises with a shape suspiciously reminiscent of his fingers. Pritchard was going to give him hell for that in the morning... He let out a surprised grunt as his cock was suddenly released and his legs shoved upwards, the black carbon-fiber of his knees now pushed against his chest.

“You're insufferable.” drawled the hacker as he penetrated him in a single, harsh stroke, going straight for his prostate this time.

Adam gave a long, borderline agonized groan. He just felt so goddamn full... It was exciting rather than painful this time.

“Funny... I was going to say the same thing about you...” he managed before he moaned again as the throbbing cock inside him pulled out and rammed back in, hitting his sweet spot once more.

“And yet here you are...” proclaimed Pritchard as he leaned over him, a smirk playing at his lips. “Enjoying every. Last. Inch. Of. Me.”

He emphasized his every word with a roll of his hips, reducing Adam to a mindless, needy mess. The Aug clawed at the sheets, back arched and head tilted back, the sounds tearing through his throat hardly resembling anything human.

“You love it when I fuck you like this, don't you?” panted Pritchard as he picked up the pace.

Adam growled, incapable of saying a single word. He was hoping that the way he clenched down on him spoke for itself.

“So tight...” moaned Pritchard as he kept going.

Adam reached up to grab a fistful of hair and pulled at it, crashing their mouths together. Pritchard didn't seem to be impressed by that as he bit down on his partner's lower lip, right before indulging him and shoving his tongue where it was so desperately needed. Adam loosened his grip and moved his other hand to trace along the hacker's back, trying to retain at least a semblance of control. He didn't want to get bitten again. A muffled grunt rumbled in the back of his throat as the pounding became harder. Pritchard panted into his mouth, apparently not quite in control of himself either.

Seeing him like this was something Adam simultaneously would and wouldn't have expected, he almost felt like he didn't really know him. Pritchard's breathing became more and more ragged the longer he slammed into him. Judging by how little regard he had for Adam's comfort by now, he had to be close. Adam pulled back from the kiss, looking up at him. It felt strangely satisfying to just let the other man do as he pleased and watch him lose it over something as freaky as his stitched up body.

“Francis...” he heard himself say. “It's fine, you can-”

Pritchard looked back at him, evidently struggling to get the words out: “But...then you're-”

“I don't have to.” Adam cut him off.

“You do.” countered Pritchard vehemently. “It's...what I want.” he breathed as he slowed down, his eyes now glued to the Aug's face. He was watching his expression with quiet intent, making sure that he noticed even the slightest of changes. Adam groaned as a hand was placed around his cock, giving it a squeeze. It was the last thing he remembered clearly.

 

* * *

 

_He was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, riding out the aftermath of his orgasm. It wasn't the first one of the day but it was probably the strongest one. Groaning softly, he reached out with his arm in search of the man responsible for it. His fingers brushed against the fabric of the sheets before finally finding what they were looking for. Adam opened his eyes, staring up at Pritchard who was now sitting next to him, wiping himself clean with some tissues. The hacker's lips twitched upwards._

“ _Since when are you this clingy?”_

“ _Could ask you the same thing.” rumbled Adam as he pulled his hand back to prop himself up on his elbows.”You were all hands just a minute ago.”_

“ _At least I didn't bite you.” Pritchard shot back with a raised eyebrow. It was hard for him to understand how a man who was pretty much the textbook definition of stoicism could go from his usual self to a ravenous maniac within two seconds._

“ _We were kissing as far as I know.” countered Adam as he sat up._

“ _You bit me. Right here.” objected Pritchard as he craned his neck to make him see the outline of his jaw. “Can't you remember?” he asked as he pointed at the spot where his skin was still somewhat red._

_Adam shook his head: “Not exactly.”_

_Pritchard snorted, both with amusement and disbelief. What kind of an answer was that? Was Jensen honestly trying to tell him that he couldn't remember what happened a few minutes ago?_

“ _What do you mean 'not exactly'?” he asked out loud._

“ _I mean what I've said.” came another unsatisfactory answer._

_Pritchard let out an irritated huff, barely restraining himself from glaring at him. God was his idiot of a lover difficult to talk to sometimes..._

“ _I'm not illiterate, Jensen, I know what those words mean.” he proclaimed snidely. “What I want to know is how can you 'not exactly remember' what happened a few minutes ago?”_

“ _I have a vague idea, Francis, that's how.” answered Adam in a similarly sarcastic tone. “My rationality is on the back burner when we fuck, is that enough to conclude your analysis?”_

“ _Is that right?” inquired Pritchard, grinning this time. “Am I seriously the one person that can make the mighty Jensen lose his unwavering focus?”_

_He let out a surprised sound as he was promptly tackled onto his back, the subject of his teasing now looming above him. A pair of augmented arms grabbed hold of his shoulders and pinned them to the mattress before he even had a chance to blink._

“ _You always were.” said Adam, looking him in the eye. “No one could ever keep me on edge the way you do and sleeping with you only makes it worse.”_

_Pritchard opened his mouth to talk back to him only to have the other man shut him up rather aggressively. He complied and tilted his head back for better access, knowing that there was no point in trying to stop him. If anything, they were even because while he was the only one that could keep Adam on his toes all day long, Adam was the only one that could make him instantly lose an argument like this._

 

* * *

 

Pritchard closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. He was sitting at the edge of the bed, a smirk playing at his lips. It's been a while since he's felt this great and up until this point, he had no idea how much he'd missed it. The skin at his hips was still a deep shade of red, trailing into purple at some points, but as far as he was concerned it was a small price to pay. Raising his head, he looked over his shoulder to take in the sight of the man whose hands left those marks. He was lying on his stomach, his chest rising and falling with steady, measured breaths.

 _Funny how it all worked out in the end._ Pritchard thought to himself as he turned around and crawled towards him. Adam followed his advance with a half-lidded gaze, remaining quiet.

“Have I managed to actually make you feel sore?” Pritchard teased him as he noticed how tired he is.

Adam let out a vague grunt and turned his back to him, curling into a ball. If Pritchard had to translate that from Jensen to English it probably meant something like _yeah, now leave me alone._ Normally, he would but there was something that bothered him and given the nature of his gripe and the other man's current state, it seemed like there was no better time for this.

“Why did you lie to me?” he asked.

“When?” came the gritty answer. It seemed like Adam didn't know what he's talking about.

“You said that you've never done this.” said Pritchard, plopping down to sit on his heels right behind him. “I've had first timers before and you're definitely not one of them.”

“What makes you say that?” asked Adam, still refusing to turn to him. There was a visible tension to his back now, his shoulders rolling forward further.

“Come on, Jensen. Nobody fits an entire dick in them on the first go.” argued Pritchard. “Nobody.”

For a moment there was no response save for a low huff.

“Lie's not the word I'd use.” said Adam at length.

“And what word _would_ you use?” Pritchard pushed on. He wasn't really angry with him, just getting tired of the man constantly hiding something from him.

Adam sighed: “I wasn't lying when I said I've never done this before...with a man.”

It took Pritchard a moment to process what he said.

“Wait, are you saying...” he couldn't help but grin. “You and Reed?”

Adam didn't confirm or deny it but the fact that he suddenly had the strength to sit up pretty much spoke for itself. He hunched his back, ready to get out of bed altogether, but Pritchard reached out and grabbed his forearm to stop him.

“You don't have to be so defensive, Adam. I'm just curious.”

“Guess I'm not used to talking about things like that.” answered the Aug, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. He didn't move closer or flinch away but by now, Pritchard knew him well enough to realize that he still had to be careful. Talking about himself wasn't Adam's forte and when it came to intimate matters such as this one it seemed to be ten times worse. Especially whenever he mentioned Megan. He pulled himself closer to him, his chin now resting on the other man's shoulder. Again, the reaction was neither positive, nor negative. Adam simply cast a glance his way, sitting eerily still, the only indication of any feelings being a slight flare of color to his cheeks.

“I wasn't planning on asking, you've just made it really obvious.” proclaimed Pritchard in an attempt to coax him.

“My bad.” rumbled Adam quietly.

“Bad's not the word I'd use.” grinned Pritchard as he wrapped his free arm around him in an awkward embrace.

Adam inclined his head to look at him properly, his posture somewhat more relaxed now: “What word would you use?”

“Hot.” purred Pritchard, his lips brushing against the other man's neck teasingly. “Can I ask you one more thing? I promise to leave you alone after that one.”

“I guess so.” answered Adam after a moment's hesitation, his back tensing up again.

“Why were you so reluctant to let me do this? I can tell that you really enjoyed it, why deprive yourself for so long when you didn't have to?” asked Pritchard softly, his lips still trailing along the outlines of Adam's neck.

“The same reason why I got so nervous when you first kissed me.” answered the Aug, fidgeting in his grip a little. “I didn't trust you.” He bowed his head, the look in his eyes turning slightly downcast. “It's not easy for me to open up to people.”

“You used a past tense there. Does that mean you trust me now?” inquired Pritchard, his hands moving up to rub his shoulders reassuringly.

Adam let out a barely audible sigh, before looking up at him. He seemed to visibly relax when he responded: “I'm beginning to.”

Pritchard offered him a smile: “I'm glad.”

“Yeah, me too.” conceded Adam as he wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into an embrace.


End file.
